


Revolution

by Sam_Haine



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems, Intersex Loki (Marvel), Love, M/M, Making Up, Non-Consensual Touching, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Thor (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Psychological Torture, Rabbits, Relationship(s), Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, Spoilers, Tender Sex, Torture, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-05-20 07:23:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 65,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sam_Haine/pseuds/Sam_Haine
Summary: With the impending war, a lot of things are changing. And so are a lot of people. Thanos has Loki scared in a way Thor's never seen him before. He'll be damned before he lets the Mad Titan get to his brother again. Tony also finds himself extremely protective of the Trickster...





	1. Civilian

**Author's Note:**

> This was in my head and I couldn't get it out.

Civilian 

 

Amends. 

Thor had just made _amends_ with his little brother. Something he hadn't been able to do in the past eight years. They'd finally put aside their differences for the greater good of their people and now it was all gone. 

In the blink of an eye, _it was gone._

Thor could gauge his own confused but battle-ready reaction to the Goliath of a spaceship in front of them, but when he looked over at Loki, all he could see was abject fear. His brother's pale skin became even paler and his brilliant emerald eyes glistened with _something_ that was akin to a terrified child. It was almost comical how young he seemed in that moment, right before a sonic blast hit them on the starboard side of their ship. The screams of his already traumatized people erupted as the ship canted to the side, making it difficult to stand on two feet. Thor grunted out harshly as he grabbed a hold of the wall to steady himself. 

Loki still hadn't moved. 

"We've just been hit- the starboard side is down!" The Valkyrie shouted as she came barreling into the room. 

"Where's the nearest landing?!" He yelled as another blast crashes into the ship, shattering the glass and searing the outer walls. 

"Kronan! Korg says he can vouch for our safety while we're there!" Brunnhilde answers promptly and Thor is irrevocably grateful for her quick thinking. 

"Alright! Chart a course to Kronan immediately! We're severely outmanned and outgunned but I'll do whatever it takes to hold Thanos and his goons off!" 

Brunnhilde gives him a sharp nod before scampering back to control. Thor turns to Loki who still hasn't moved, his mouth hanging open slightly. 

"Loki! Loki- _look at me!"_

It's useless. His brother remains catatonic even as another blast knocks him over on his ass. Thor hears the soft but laboured pants escaping the raven-haired trickster and he can't seem to grasp exactly _why_ Loki seems so scared. 

"Loki, snap out of it! Brother! We need to-" 

A plasma cannon blasts a hole in the wall and suddenly they're confronted by a grotesque, squid looking creature. An inhuman shriek escapes Loki's lips and he backs away immediately but it's too late. The creature uses his telekinetic power to ensnare his brother and then Thor himself. 

"Thor!" Brunnhilde yells, charging into the room, dragon fang sword in hand but the creature sends her crashing into the wall with a mere flick of the wrist. 

"We only want the two Princes." He notifies her calmly, dragging them out of their ship. 

"Get the people to a safe place! Do not follow me!" Thor orders harshly, unable to bear the conflicted shine in the Valkyrie's eyes. 

"My King..." She stutters, trying to shake off the after effects of crashing into a wall. 

"Brunnhilde- protect the people-!" 

It's all he can manage before the alien drags them away. 

 

..................

 _"Loki."_

The squid looking alien- Ebony Maw, Thor had learned, threw them in a holding cell the minute they entered Thanos's ship. The newly crowned King was free long enough to see their ship narrowly escape impending death before he was carted away like a common prisoner to the dark cell both he and Loki were currently in. It would take a fool to think of Loki's behaviour as normal. Luckily, Thor was no fool and knew his brother like he knew the back of his hand or every dent and scrape on Mjolnir. Loki never froze so effectively like that, unless it was something he had experienced before. 

"Brother, please... snap out of it. I need you..." He whispered, his usually rough hand a gentle caress on Loki's slim, pale neck. His little brother's skin is as cold as ice and for once, it wasn't because of his Frost Giant lineage. A soft whimper chokes out of his throat and he closes in on himself. Despite the warm leathers, his entire body is shivering like a leaf so Thor does the only thing that immediately comes to mind and wraps Loki in his arms, stroking his hair soothingly, trying his best to coax his brother out of his shell. 

"I'm right here brother. I've got you." 

His heart almost leaps out of his chest when Loki buries his face in his neck, tiny whimpers huffing out of him. It's the first sign of consciousness Loki's shown in hours, so for Thor it's pretty groundbreaking. He presses a soft kiss to Loki's temple and holds him closer. 

"I know you're scared. I am too. No one's ever been able to escape the Mad Titan, but I promise you brother, I'll get us out of th-" 

"How sweet?" A sarcastic voice rudely interrupts. Maw emerges out of the darkness and gazes down at them as if they're nothing more than dirt beneath his boots. Thor glares back at him with just as much contempt. He feels Loki curling in on himself, the shivering starting back up with a fervour. 

"I'd tread carefully if I were you, Maw." He threatens, only to be met with amusement from the alien squid. 

"Spare me the dramatics, Asgardian. You are under the jurisdiction of the Almighty Thanos and therefore, no threat is greater than his. You do not scare me." 

Seemingly from out of nowhere, thick, black collars wrap around their necks, Loki crying out like a wounded animal from the impact. Thor holds him tighter but Maw just chuckles under his breath. 

"Ever the injured little puppy that one. Don't you remember the _fun_ we had boy?" 

Thor growled.

"You. You were in my brother's head... the battle of New York... that was _you."_

Maw nodded almost imperceptibly. 

"It was a number of us to be quite honest. Now, enough useless chatter. Save your energy for tomorrow, when the Almighty Thanos is ready for you." 

 

..................

The room is shrouded in an unnatural darkness that only seems to grow darker with every breath and every blink. It's worse for Thor with his eyepatch but he isn't complaining. He's much too busy trying to keep his brother calm. Loki's head is resting on his lap, his hair falling in soft, oil black curls over his cheek. The shaky tremors ceased a while ago, but now he's just lying there, lifeless and still. The green in his eyes seem pale now, like weak green tea. It's scary how much Thor wishes to have the old, mischievious Loki back. 

He'd give anything to have his brother back. 

"Y'know, the last time you were this scared, we were just children." He murmurs softly, fingers stroking gently through Loki's hair. 

"You always hated the Asgardian winters, said it made father angry and mother, frightened. You said it made you blue which of course I thought meant sad... or something. I was a fool. I remember on the harshest nights you would come into my room and climb into my bed. In the morning, I would always find you snuggled up next to me, your tiny hands holding on to me tight."

Loki twitches in his arms. 

"I want you to know that I'll protect you, brother. I won't let him hurt you- ...again." 

_"He can't know how strong you are."_ Loki suddenly whispers, spindly fingers grabbing a hold of Thor's wrist. The blonde king freezes as his brother pushes away from his lap and turns to stare him dead in the eyes. They're still pale but Thor can sense a ferocity in them. 

"Wh-"

"No. Thor, he cannot know how potent your power is. His is a hundred times more powerful. He'll use it against you. He'll break you until it's gone and then he'll- he'll..." 

Loki's voice is a low whine that sounds like a pup that's been injured. Thor reaches out and caresses his brothers neck. 

"Brother-" 

"No, you have to find a way to get out of here. Let Heimdall know wh-" 

"You must be mad if you think I'm leaving you here." Thor rumbles, blue eye hardening at Loki. The raven haired prince shakes his head. 

"Don't be a fool Thor. My fate was sealed a long time ago. There is nothing more for me, but you... you have to keep our people safe. You must rule your new kingdom, as father prophecized." 

"I should've been there. I should've looked for you more ferociously after you fell from the Bifrost. I was a fool to let you fall into the hands of the Mad Titan. I'm truly sorry, brother. But I won't leave you here. You cannot ask me to do that." Thor's authoritative growl sends a shiver of _something_ down Loki's spine. 

"Then you really are the witless oaf I thought you to be." He spits harshly in a last ditch attempt to scare his brother away but Thor isn't shaken. He knows Loki's ways all too well. He can see the frightened child in his brother's eyes and the tears that threaten to flow. For once, he isn't the unaware Thor of old. He gently pulls Loki to lie between his legs, head on his chest where his brother can listen to his heartbeat. 

"Fear not brother. The Mad Titan will have to go through me before he ever gets to you." He says with a resolution that seems frighteningly final. He rests his chin on Loki's head, hand gently stroking his brother's neck, all the way down to his shoulder. 

.................

The dark space surrounding them is a tapestry of thick black and violet velvet strewn with the light of a million stars. It's quite a sight to behold in the silence of their cell. Thor turns back to check on Loki who's trapped in a fitful slumber, his brows damp with a cold sweat. With a heavy sigh he turns his gaze back to the window, noting the ice encrusted comet that glides alongside them with passing interest. On the outside he is the picturesque vision of calm. Deep within the confines of his mind, he's going through hundreds of plans. There must be some way to escape. 

"Ah, you're awake. Excellent." 

He rounds on the ugly smug face of Ebony Maw who opens the cell with a loud clang. Loki awakens with a spooked jump, his pale face drenched in sweat. Thor tries to reach for him but Maw holds them apart with separate energy fields. Four guards of the Black Order tail them as Maw leads them to Thanos, Thor assumes. The ship is surprisingly clean, with long hallways that are lined with holding cells, each cell housing the inhabitants of various planets. He notices a pair of Kronans, the easiest distinguishable alien of them all, two Xandarians, two Krees, Dark Elves and- 

_"Stark?"_

Tony only has seconds to recognize who called his name before Maw pulls them away. Thor hears the human call him in the distance and struggles to keep it together. A feeling of hope surges through his body as he realizes that they're not alone. The Man of Iron was a formidable warrior. He could help them escape Thanos. He chances a glance over at Loki who seems to be functioning on autopilot. His hair is a mess, falling in greasy tendrils around his face. His cheeks look more sunken in than before and there are dark bruises under his eyes. His lips are fairer than coral and there's a haunted expression ghosting over his green eyes. 

_"Hello again, little one."_

*

Tony sighed for the hundredth time, taking up residence on the floor after another round of idle pacing. 

He'd always been a skeptic, through and through but this was the first time one of his irrational fears had actually come true. Ever since New York, he'd been preparing for the impending alien invasion. Never actually thought it would happen this soon. In fact, he'd believed it would happen earlier but when that timestamp had passed with Ultron, he'd just assumed that it would happen in the distant future. Guess there _were_ still things that surprised Tony Stark. 

It came as quick as it left. 

A huge, space donut touching down on the city, the terrified screams of people running for their lives, Pepper begging him to come back and Dr Stephen Strange himself asking for help. The city was under attack and there was no one to protect save for Iron Man himself, two wizards and the spider kid. The Avengers were a thing of the past and some Squidward looking alien was calling him an animal. They'd been able to hold Ebony Maw and his goons for a while until Peter went down and Strange got captured. Tony and Wong did their best to retrieve the stonekeeper but ended up losing both Strange and Tony in the process. 

"Strange!" He'd yelled as they took the unconscious wizard away. 

"Await your turn, insolent little animal." Maw had told him before locking him in a prison cell that was impervious to blasts from his nano-tech suit. 

"Whatever Squidward." 

After that, it was a waiting game. For an estimated two days he'd been holed up in his cell with nothing to eat, a small supply of water and the screams of Thanos's victims being tortured. He'd thought he was done for- there was nothing Strange could do without risking the stone- but then, Thor showed up. Tony could honestly admit that he'd never been so glad to see Pointbreak. He looked different with the shorter hair and the one eye... but that wasn't important. Getting out _was._

It was time to put his hunger aside and start thinking. 

 

...................

Thanos's huge palm comes up to caress Loki's face, clutching his fine jaw, the large purple thumb stroking gently at the high, pale cheekbone. Thor feels his power sparking just beneath his skin, unable to come to the surface because of the collar around his neck. An overwhelming wave of possessiveness breaks over him as Thanos continues to pet Loki like he owned him. His brother is shaking under the Titan's touch, reduced to nothing but mere whimpers. 

"If I may say so myself, you've gotten more beautiful with time little one." The Titan purrs. 

"Get your hands off my brother!" Thor snarls, earning himself a swift punch to the gut from one of Maw's enforcers. The air is knocked out of him for a good minute or two. 

"Thor, son of Odin. The new King of Asgard." Thanos states as if calling out a roster. He removes his hand from Loki's face and Thor tries his best to ignore the way the Prince leans into the touch. The Titan stops in front of him, looking down on him as if he were nothing but a stain on the floor. 

"He is of Jötunheim, is he not?" 

" _He_ is a Prince of Asgard and you will not dare lay another finger on him." Thor threatens, his remaining eye glowing with a blue fire. Thanos chuckles however at his expense.

"I'd say we're _way_ past that, God of Thunder. The young Jötun owes me a debt. _And_ something much more valuable than both your lives and that of your people's combined." 

Thor glances over at Loki but his brother looks away. 

"Whatever debt you _think_ he owes is null and void, Titan. My brother is not one of your pawns." 

"Unlike you Asgardians, I am not one for empty words and futile conversations. Talking in circles does not become you." Thanos declares, the smirk on his face a horrifying and sadistic grimace. He walks calmly over to Loki and grabs him by the neck. The Jötun Prince gasps out, his legs kicking out desperately for purchase. 

"Let him go!" Thor demands, struggling against Maw's magic. It's useless. 

"I've already told you, he owes me a debt." Thanos replies simply, fist clenching harder around Loki's thin neck. It's hard to breathe, that much was obvious. But Loki knew sooner or later, it would have all come to this. He glances down at Thor, eyes red not because of his Frost Giant heritage but because Thanos was literally choking him out. 

"The Tesseract." Thanos orders quietly. 

Thor frowns hard, panting from the exertion of trying to break free of his imaginary bonds. 

"We don't have it! It was destroyed on Asgard, along with everything else." He coughs out weakly but Thanos shakes his head, tightening his hold around Loki's throat.

"Do you _truly_ think this little Jötun runt, of honest virtue?" He chuckles darkly, eyes boring into Loki's very soul. 

Thor feels the pit of his stomach give way and suddenly his heart was in his gut. He looks up at his brother and finally Loki looks back, but his expression is one of pain and regret... and abject misery. 

_No... you didn't._

The way Loki avoids his gaze after that tells the blonde King all he needs to know. And it's soul crushing, the way his heart crumbles under the weight of the betrayal. Something in him hopes and prays that he's wrong and that Thanos is lying but, some despicable part of him- a much larger part of him- pretends to know the truth. Loki was _the_ God of Mischief- a seasoned Trickster, why would he expect anything else?

"The Tesseract or your brother's head." Thanos hisses at Loki. Maw's enforcers have Thor in a stronghold, dagger at his throat.

"One wrong move and you'll be the headless king of Asgard." Maw threatens cheerily. 

Thor doesn't hear him though, his one blue eye as hard as a diamond, fixed on Loki who's now got bluish veins crawling up the paper white skin of his face. His mouth gapes like a fish out of water but Thanos doesn't let up. He knows Loki has what he wants. The Jötun Prince nods at the Mad Titan, eyes pleading for a small mercy of breath. He is granted it and uses the moment to manifest the blue, glowing cube out of the air. 

"No!" 

Thor watches on, helpless as the Titan snatches the cube in his huge palm, crushing it until it is nothing but a mere stone. A perfect fit for one of the five slots on the knuckles of his golden gauntlet. He drops Loki to the floor unceremoniously, admiring the way the Space stone fits next to the Power stone. 

"You got what you wanted-...!" Loki chokes out, struggling to his hands and knees. 

"Now let him go." 

"Wh- no!-" Thor bellows out before Maw conjures a restrictive band of metal over his mouth and jaw, preventing him from speaking. 

Thanos chuckles darkly. 

"He may be taken back to his cell. _You_ on the other hand little one, will be most useful in extracting the stone off of... _him."_

Just a few yards away from them, Thor makes out the unconscious body of a human, with dark hair, draped in the folds of a ruby red cloak, bright green glowing from the eye of the pendant on his chest.


	2. What Did You Expect To Find?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki learns, that sometimes doing the right thing, requires a whole lot of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meep...

What Did You Expect To Find?

 

Loki doesn't return to him for hours. 

Thor was taken back to his cell which he realized was just four blocks away from Tony's. He sat in the eerie silence of the small imprisonment, cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. He was desperate to know of the fate of his people. 

_Heimdall, please hear me._

It's disconcerting, the way Thanos's ship isolates him from everything and everyone. He can't use his magic nor can he communicate with Stark. In the distance, he swears he can hear the screams of his brother along with the mysterious man in the cloak and it's... painful to say the least. Ebony Maw was a torturer- hell, he was _the_ torturer. Thor wasn't sure if his brother or the human could take more of this. 

_Heimdall... please old friend, hear me._

The image of the Tesseract flashes in his mind's eye and it leaves a bitter taste on his tongue. He'd truly thought his brother had changed. Ragnarok wasn't just the complete turnover of Asgard. It was supposed to mean a complete changeover for the people of Asgard as well. He'd thought his brother had grown beyond his mischievious ways. 

_Why, brother?_

The Tesseract was most likely what led Thanos to them. Had Loki just been honest with him, he would've been better prepared for the Mad Titan's arrival. Hell, Loki shouldn'tve _taken_ the damn stone in the first place. From it's very inception, the Space stone had been a source of chaos for all the Nine realms. It revealed man's true greed for power, wealth, control... 

It was a powerful talisman that needed to be kept away from the likes of his brother and the Mad Titan and as much as it pained Thor to put Loki in the same category as Thanos, he knew in his _heart_ , he was right. 

Why else would Loki even take the Tesseract? 

_Father, I seek counsel._

In his dreams, he sought his father's guidance. Odin had passed, that much he'd accepted. But as the new King of Asgard, it had granted him the ability to establish a deeper connection with the Allfather that hadn't existed before. It was one he was sincerely grateful for.

 _What is it, my son?_ Odin inquires patiently. 

Thor almost cries with relief to hear the man's voice but he holds himself together. 

_The Mad Titan has grown stronger. He plans on destroying the Universe. He- ...he has the Tesseract._

Odin doesn't speak for a while. Then he does. 

_Loki gave it to him._

Thor isn't sure if he should nod or defend his brother's actions before Odin casts definitive judgement so instead, he remains silent. 

_Your brother may be impulsive Thor, but he is no fool._

Thor frowns. _You're saying I should trust his judgement._

_I'm saying Loki does not often act without reason. I think he gets that from Frigga._

Thor sighs in frustration. 

_It is because of the Tesseract that Thanos was able to find us so easily. Loki knew the risks and he brought it anyway. How am I to trust him?_

_The Mad Titan has been inside Loki's head ever since the attack in Midgard. He furnished Loki's dreams of grandeur in order to meet his own twisted needs. Loki craved a father figure, someone who truly understood him... someone who wasn't me. That was a grave mistake on my part... never showing Loki the love he truly deserved. Thanos became that for him, but like I said before, Loki is no fool._

Thor's sleep for the rest of the night is a fitful one full of troubled dreams and memories of the Chitauri invading Midgard. 

 

*

When he awakens hours later, he's not alone. 

His eye takes a while to adjust before he notices the pale figure huddled in the corner of the cell. It's Loki, leaning against the wall for support. His hair is a tangled mess, the curls loose and unkempt like someone pulled it too hard. His face is hidden underneath his arms that rest on his bent knees. He's _naked._ All of his clothes are gone, his pale body nude and glowing under the small shaft of starshine that comes through the window. Thor can make out dark red blood stains, running in rivulets down his skin. Blood runs down his legs as well, splashing across his thighs all the way down to his ankles. 

_Thanos was going to pay dearly for this._

"Loki?" He whispers, reaching out a hand to touch his brother's shoulder. The poor thing flinches hard and shrinks away with a pained whimper. 

"It's okay... I won't hurt you. It's me, ...it's Thor." 

There's a flicker of recognition in those terrified green eyes but then Loki tries to scoot back further away. 

"It's me, dear brother. I'm not gonna hurt you I swear it... _please._ " Thor tries again, unclasping his cape and offering it to the spooked prince. Loki trembles, teary emerald eyes wincing at him. He's injured, Thor can tell. They must have tortured him to get the time stone off of the human with the cloak. The thought of Thanos with three infinity stones however takes second place to his brother's condition at the moment. Loki reaches out his hand timidly to grasp the corner of his big brother's cape. He carefully wraps the soft, red material around Loki's bare form, pulling him into his lap. 

"M'sorry... ab- ...about the Tesseract..." Loki mutters softly, his nose tickling Thor's neck. 

"Why did you take it brother?" Thor sighs tiredly, gently brushing back a strand of hair away from Loki's face. A small sob escapes him and Thor holds him closer. 

"I know you're mad-" 

"I'm not mad." Thor reassures but Loki shakes his head. 

"I _know_ you're mad. Taking the Tesseract... I know it looks bad but... Thanos would've found me anyway. I failed him... in- in New York. And, I knew it was only a matter of time before he would come looking for me." 

"I thought it was the Tesseract that led him to our ship?" Thor interrupts, his thick brows furrowing in question. 

"Well, it did. But Thanos knew exactly where I was at all times. He just waited until I got my hands on the stone again..." 

"Then he'd swoop in and take it. But if you knew he was after it, why didn't you just leave it in Asgard? Surtur would've destroyed it, thus preventing Thanos from getting his hands on it." 

Loki shudders and pulls back a little to stare his brother in the eye. 

"If I didn't have it, our people wouldn't have been so lucky. Brother, I _needed_ something to bargain with..." 

Realization dawns on Thor like the first sunrise after an Asgardian winter. 

"He would've killed everyone on that ship." He exhales with dismay. He feels Loki's delicate hands on his face, thumbs stroking his cheeks gingerly. 

"I'm sorry." 

Thor shakes his head in refusal. 

"Do not apologize, my sweet brother. You saved us. Now we just have to find a way to get out of here, to warn the rest of the galaxy." 

Loki nods faintly. He looks about a second away from passing out. Thor carefully cradles him in his arms, one hand supporting his head. Maw's torture is taking its toll. Shit- He should've made sure Loki's wounds were tended to. 

"Where are you hurt?" He inquires gently, but Loki grunts impatiently at him. 

"Doesn't matter, I-" 

_"I thought I heard you call my name, Pointbreak."_

Thor startles at the sound of their cell opening, almost dropping Loki on the floor at the sound of Tony's amused voice. The Man of Iron grins down at them before frowning at the injured bundle in his arms. 

"Wait-" 

"Hello Stark." Loki sighs, rolling his eyes at the dark-haired Avenger. It's a reunion of sorts he supposes, meeting his human equivalent. He doesn't have the energy to start a flurry of useless banter with the man however. Time is of the essence. 

"How did you get out?" Thor inquires, struggling to his feet with Loki still clutched tightly, protectively in his arms. Tony casts a weird look directly at Loki who glares back with the same childish pout. Thor purses his lips and waits for them to get over their little sizing up contest. 

"Working out the mechanics of the cell wasn't too hard. My suit technically isn't magic so I didn't get a special collar. It was easy to override the alarm system for my cell, no big." Stark finally answers, ignoring Loki pointedly. 

"How many are out there?" The thunder God questions, setting Loki precariously down on the bed in the corner of his cell. 

"None are patrolling the cell block. My guess is they've got this ship lined with cameras. I had to manually dismantle three of them that were monitoring this cell, the hallway and my own block." 

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible." Thor states gravely. 

"There are smaller ships- pods really, on the southwestern port of the ship." Loki supplies.

"We're gonna need clothes for you. But first, where are you hurt?" Thor demands, motioning to the red, silken cape wrapped elegantly around Loki's lithe body. 

"I'm fine-" Loki starts but Stark and his stupid mouth interrupts. 

"Yeah right Reindeer Games, the whole _ship_ heard you screaming." 

"That was your wizard friend you _insignificant, second rate-_ " 

"Brother, please." Thor murmurs softly to him, even as he's preoccupied staring down Stark with all the intent of a poisonous serpent, the green in his eyes glowing like a fire. After an intense minute, he sighs as if in defeat, standing on shaky legs. He turns around so that his back is facing both Thor and Stark. The cape drops unceremoniously to the floor, pooling around his ankles like velvet rose petals, revealing his naked body. 

Tony tries his best to look away but finds that he can't, when his eyes travel over the pale expanse of Loki's body. The God of Mischief's back is a patchwork of deep grooves and slashes across his spine. Blood drips from the lacerations and dries in rusty splashes against the colorless skin. Some of it looks like the markings of a barbed whip, slicing through soft skin but the others appear to be from the claws of some kind of wild animal. If they thought about it hard enough, Ebony Maw did have skeletal, claw-like limbs for arms and fingers. 

"Thanos- did this...?" Stark questions, his voice careful and considerate for once. Loki looks over his shoulder, long lashes fanning over a prominent cheekbone as he takes a deep, shuddering breath. 

"He doesn't do the grunt work when it comes to torture. His methods are much more... _intimate."_

Loki murmurs the "I" word under his breath, almost as if he's ashamed of revealing such a horrifying detail. An unchained yowl that sounds like that of a fierce animal erupts from Thor and it takes both Loki and Tony to calm him down. 

"He _dares-"_

"Brother, don't..."

"C'mon Pointbreak. Let cooler heads prevail until we get outta here. After that, we can hatch a plan to beat the living daylights out of big ol' Purple there." Tony interjects gingerly, a cautious hand on Thor's tensed shoulder. Loki hears the subtle intonation of anger in Stark's own voice but doesn't comprehend it. They _were_ enemies after all; why should he sympathize with the trickster that had tried to kill him? He quickly grabs up the cape to shade his modesty, shying away from them both. He _shouldn'tve_ let that detail slip. Not only would his brother now look at him like some kind of broken... _thing,_ but he'd be forced to suffer the shame of their scrutiny. 

"I suggest you hurry up with that plan of yours Stark. We do not have the luxury of time on our side." He grunts out harshly, trying his best to keep the cape from slipping. Tony clears his throat awkwardly before retracting his suit to take off his ACDC t-shirt. 

"You're not getting my underwear, but this should cover you well enough." He coughs, chucking the piece of cloth in Loki's direction. The trickster flinches as it lands right next to him on the bed. He doesn't dare meet Tony's doe-eyed stare or his brother's blue gaze. Instead, he simply picks up the article of clothing with a little scrunch of his nose before slipping it on without much ceremony. It's honestly not much but it covers him up to the thighs so it has to do for the moment. He shakes his head, silently willing away the abject shame that washes over him. 

_I am a God for Odin's sake!_

"Alright. The plan." Thor interrupts, thankfully. 

 

...................

In truth, Loki had a plan that differed from that of Stark's and his brother's. 

It would never come to fruition however of he told so Loki did what he did best and remained characteristically silent while they formulated a plot to get to the escape pods on the southwestern port. It was a terrible plan in Loki's opinion; one that would end in their demise before they even went through with it. Yet his brother and the human insisted on getting them _all out together. The sentimentality of it all made Loki want to seriously gag but he controlled his urges, quietly standing off to the side while Stark and Thor spoke in hushed whispers._

_His emerald gaze captured the picturesque expanse of the galaxy just outside the small window of their cell. He took in the violet velvet and the scattering of stars like diamond dust across a black surface. Small ice-crusted comets shoot past them serenely, on their merry way to some unsuspecting planet or moon. Earth is much too far off for them to make it in time without Thanos or Maw suspecting it. He knows this. Thankfully, his plan involved the Bifrost to get them home._

_Except... he wouldn't be going with them._

_While he was being tortured, Maw had taken off his collar, enabling him to use his Seidr. His magic was necessary to get the stone off of the stonekeeper. But instead of doing that, he'd secretly communicated with Heimdall, who was safe with the rest of the Asgardians on Kronan._

__Heimdall, hear me. I must speak with you at once!_ _

_It didn't take long for the gatekeeper to respond with much joy and anxiety._

_"My Prince, what a relief! I couldn't see y-"_

__I don't have a lot of time Heimdall, please listen._ _

_"Yes, of course Loki."_

__Where we are... it's too far from Earth or any other planet. We won't make it in time and I'm afraid Thanos would kill us before we even escape the forcefield._ _

_"What do you suggest, my Prince?" Heimdall answered promptly._

__When we escape from this cell, I'm going to lead Thor to the escape pods. As soon as he gets into it, I will break my collar. It's got an alarm on it and it'll distract them long enough until Thor is safely out of range. The minute he is, I want you to summon the Bifrost and send him to Earth._ _

_He remembers the cold silence on the other end after he'd spoken. Maw had just torn his back open with another strike from his poisoned whip. His magic was fading slowly and time was running out._

__Heimdall did you hea-_ _

_"My Prince... you cannot ask this of me." Heimdall's voice is as steady as a rock but Loki can hear the defiance in it._

__As your Prince I demand that you follow my orders Heimdall!_ _

_"This is suicide, Loki!"_

__Time is of the esse- promise me Heimdall! Promise me!_ _

_It had felt like a lifetime had passed before Heimdall finally conceded. The gatekeeper answered with a heavy heart._

_"Yes, my Prince."_

_Everything turned black after that._

_***_

"Brother?" 

The hand on his shoulder wakes him out of his reverie and forces his morbid memories away with a flourish. He turns to meet Thor's blue gaze regarding him with a reverence he does not deserve. There's a sharp pain in his hollow chest but he ignores it, glancing down at his delicate hands trapped by Thor's much bigger paws. His is all soft lines and pale skin where Thor's is tanned and scarred from battle. He traces the rough creases and lines with a quiet indulgence that leaves both of them breathless for a few sec- 

"Hey, let's get a move on. I want a cheeseburger when we get back to Earth." 

He's indefinitely grateful for Stark's lack of sensitivity. A few more seconds and he might've crashed and begged Thor not to leave him. 

They make it through the hallways without being detected thanks to Stark's dismantling of the monitors. It takes them approximately four minutes to dismantle the alarms on Strange's cell. The wizard is swerving in and out of consciousness but thankfully, he's alive. Tony holds the man in a bridal carry, the time stone glowing quietly on his chest. Thanos had promised to rip it off his corpse soon if Loki's Seidr hadn't come through. 

"This way." He hissed, beckoning them towards a hangar-space in the southwestern port of the huge ship where smaller pods rested quietly. They were emergency pods really, so they could be easily and quickly ejected with the simple push of a button. That was all the time Loki needed for his plan to work. 

"Get him in there." Stark grunts, mostly to himself as he shoves Strange carelessly into the pod. Loki resists the urge to roll his eyes as the human climbs in soon after, familiarizing himself with the control panel. 

"C'mon brother." 

He feels Thor's gentle hand on the small of his back, pushing him towards the pod. It's the moment he's been both anticipating and dreading for the past few hours and for a second, it's hard to go through with it. The thought of never seeing his brother again is a pain he never thought he'd ever feel again. But the mere imagining of a world without Thor is far more agonizing. 

__So much for detesting sentiment._ _

He chokes back a sob before ripping his collar from his neck. The blaring alarm is immediately set off. 

_"Wha-"_

Thor doesn't have the time to say much else. Loki uses what's left of his weakened Seidr to knock him back into the pod, shutting it forcefully. He watches as Stark's usually cool demeanour changes to one of panic and disbelief, brown doe-eyes blinking at him. Next to him, Thor is roaring up a frenzy, pounding his large fists into the glass of the pod. 

"LOKI! Brother don't do this!" 

"I'm sorry." Loki chokes out tearfully as dozens of Maw's men come flooding into the hangar, surrounding him. 

"Now Heimdall!" 

__"NO!"_ _

The blast of bright colours from the Bifrost is a welcome sight, immediately picking the pod up in its channel and thrusting it towards Earth. It's gone in a flash. 

They're safe. 

Loki welcomes the sudden shock of agony in his side before he blacks out completely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy...


	3. Need A Place To Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor just wants Loki back. Tony has to deal with his own issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tres...

Need A Place To Hide 

 

 _Anarchy._

It's total anarchy on Earth. 

To be completely honest, Steve doesn't know about the rest of the world but it's total chaos in Wakanda. The border protecting the haven country is being battered by hundreds of six legged demons controlled by the Black Order. They're killing themselves trying to get in- T'Challa's general, Okoye says as much. They all know that sooner or later, the barrier won't be able to physically hold _that much_ pressure. Their numbers only seem to be quadrupling by the minute. He hears the Wakandan King give the order to open a section of the border. Bucky steadies his gun beside him, and for the first time it almost feels like they're fighting side by side in the war again. 

"Yibambe!" 

Sam hovers overhead while War Machine sets his missiles.

Thanos was coming. 

_Yibambe!_

Natasha is cocking her own guns, a fierce look in her eyes.

They needed to protect Vision. 

"Yibambe!" 

Steve knows there's a huge piece missing but he refuses to let the thought of Tony Stark distract him. 

This was exactly why Tony had built Ultron... 

_Yibambe!_

Last he heard from Rhodey was that Tony followed Dr Strange into space on a ship, trying to protect the time stone. He _prayed_ that his... friend was okay. 

"Wakanda forever!" 

The battle cry snatches him from his muddled thoughts and back onto the battlefield. The shields on his forearms immediately activate as he steadies his posture for combat. The borders open and it's pure chaos. 

 

................

For once, Tony doesn't feel the need to make some witty remark to fill the deafening silence that fills the cramped space of the pod. They crash land into the park but thankfully, no civilians are injured in the process. In fact, the entirety of New York is now a ghost town. By the sounds of the sirens wailing mournfully in the distance, he guesses the city had been evacuated.

Good. 

Doesn't make it any less creepy to see the usually bustling streets void of any signs of life. 

"C'mon buddy." He grunts, straining to support Strange's deadweight. The wizard is still unconscious and Thor is of no help, lost in his thoughts as they head towards Avengers' tower. It's a joke to still call it that but Tony can't seem to think of another name for it at the moment. Exasperated under the struggle of carrying Strange, he utilises the last percentage of power in his suit to do the work, getting them to the tower faster. 

Thor follows like a dark raincloud. 

"Where are the others?" 

It's the first he's spoken since escaping Thanos. And it's a question Tony still has difficulty answering but he spares Thor's curiosity, dumping Strange on the sofa in his lab. 

"We uh... they, ..."

Thor raises a questioning brow. Tony rolls his eyes, conceding. 

"The Avengers broke up, okay?"

"Broke up?" 

"There was a... an issue Cap and I couldn't get past. It affected the team, split us apart." He sighed, restoring his suit to prime condtion whilst simultaneously trying to brush off the Avengers spilt as if it were nothing. He can feel the God's eye on him. 

_Speaking of which..._

"What the hell happened to you by the way? What's with the whole... makeover?" 

There's a heavy sigh from behind him as Thor takes up residence on the sofa next to Strange. 

"Some creepy old man cut it."

"Creepy old man?" Tony parrots in question. 

Thor shakes his head. 

"It's a terribly long story. Asgard was destroyed by my sister Hela who arose when my father died. Loki and I ended up on another planet called Sakaar and from there we met Ban- oh, right, Bruce is alive." 

"What?" Tony can't keep the relief and joy out of his voice. 

"Yeah, he crash landed with the Quinjet on Sakaar and remained the Hulk for two years. They were building a monument for him..." 

"Well- where is he now?" 

Thor breathes a heavy sigh. "Kronan, with the rest of my people." 

"We have to get them here." Tony says suddenly, his brain firing off a million thought processes per second. They need all the help they can get when Thanos arrives for Vision and Strange's infinity stones. The Titan already has two...

"Where are the others?" 

"Others?"

"Infinity stones, where are they?" 

"The Reality stone is protected by the Collector on Knowhere. As for the Soul stone, I know not where it lies. No one's ever been able to find it." 

 

..............

Peter never walked into a situation with all the knowledge of a perfectly sound plan. He usually improvised and acted out of the sheer instinct. 

But he _should've_ known that such tactics would prove futile against the Mad Titan. Thanos had taken Gamora the minute he retrieved the Reality stone, leaving them in a pile of dust, rubble and a newfound silence. Even Rocket was at a loss for words which was completely uncharacteristic for the scientifically enhanced rodent. 

"Vhormir." Nebula states quietly, already moving towards the ship. 

"What's in Vhormir?" Peter demands, following her. 

"The Soul stone." Mantis replies with a sudden mysticism in her usually airy voice. Nebula only nods once in her direction. 

"If Thanos gets his hand on another infinity stone, the galaxy will be lost forever." Drax states gravely. His literal tendencies only serve to make their situation more serious. It's a death mission and Peter knows it. 

"We need to stop him." He grunts, firing up the ship. 

"How, Quill? You _saw_ how easily he dismantled us. How can we stop the unstoppable?" 

Rocket doesn't sound condescending or patronizing for once. It's a genuine question and Peter isn't sure he wants to answer it. But Thanos has Gamora. And that makes him murderous enough. 

"He isn't unstoppable. He's the last of an already extinct race." 

 

....................

The spicy, pine-tree scent of Stark's t-shirt lingering on his skin is a small comfort as Loki lies prostrate on Maw's "operating table." He can barely move a muscle, not even to twitch. It's as if his entire body's been paralyzed. He can feel his Seidr, lying stagnant in his bloodstream, staved off by powerful magic. He's been subjected to Maw's torture for days now, the alien showing off his full range of methods on his already weakened body. Currently, there are laser induced plasma needles sticking into him, making him bleed in places where it would be extremely painful but wouldn't kill him, thus lengthening the torture process. 

Maw is nothing if not consistent. 

He lets out another shrill cry as another needle sinks into his navel. It's deep; he can feel it _inside_ him. 

"You know, I thought you were better than this." Maw remarks wistfully, calm as if he were discussing the weather. 

"I thought you were the God of Mischief. A master trickster with an agenda of his own who didn't care much for... sentimentality." 

Another needle in his neck; his eyes water at the pain. His vocal chords, severed. 

"Lucky for you, I lack enough empathy for the both of us." The torturer sneers crudely, digging his bony fingers into the bloody incision he'd made in Loki's torso. 

The Prince feels _everything_ but cannot make a sound, broken gasps and whines escaping his bloody lips instead. He's screaming in his head. His body twitches involuntarily from the grotesque sensation of long fingers clenching hard around his insides. Thick, dark blood pulses from the opening, coating Maw's pale hand up to his wrist. A flash of white swims past his eyes that are desperately searching for a point of focus. This wouldn't be the first time he's passed out under Maw's torture. 

"In the end, your sacrifice would have been for naught. We know your brother and the stonekeeper are on Earth. And so are the time and mind stones. What will it take for you and the rest of the universe to realise that _nothing_ will stop the Almighty Thanos from fulfilling his duties?" 

Another deep incision in his chest puts him under completely. 

 

***

The solitary figure sitting by the bridge is a familiar one. It's one that brings comfort to Loki despite never admitting the fact to himself. His pride is much too important in the grand scheme of things. 

But if he were to be completely honest with himself, Heimdall meant more than just the gatekeeper of Asgard. He was the protector, the loyal subject of the throne and a close friend. Of course, he'd always been a friend of Thor's and not Loki's but, whatever, Loki didn't have _friends_ ; he had acquaintances. 

"It's been a while since I've shared the dream-speak with you, my Prince." 

Loki looks up from the coursing river below them and shrugs. 

"I don't quite know how I got here to be honest." He says simply, frowning slightly at his old black and green leather and metal armour. He certainly _was_ dreaming then. 

"Your body shut itself down to protect you from Maw's torture." Heimdall supplies quietly, his golden eyes sparkling off the refracted light on the surface of the river. Loki shrugs with much indifference, pacing the length of the bridge idly. 

"Pain is imagined, I always say. Let Maw do as he pleases. I am a God." 

That earns him an amused huff from the gatekeeper and he brightens considerably. As children, both he and Thor would make bets on who could make Heimdall crack a smile first. Of course it would always end in a stalemate because the bastard never smiled. It figures that he'd win the damn bet in a dream. Thor would never believe him. 

"That you are." The gatekeeper remarks softly, eyes looking for something in the water. 

"He has the Reality stone." Loki reveals after a long pause between them. Heimdall responds with a burdened sigh. 

"Aye, I sensed that. The Mad Titan only grows stronger with every infinity stone he collects."

"But, Thor can stop him, right? He and his fellow Avengers? They can defeat him?" 

It's weird to hear himself voicing his faith in his brother so openly but, it's a dream so what the hell. He's still pretty sure this was him in a hyper-sleep induced by Maw's own doing. 

"It'll take a collective effort to stop Thanos, yes. But do not be so sure to scratch your name out of that list." Heimdall responds, his voice grave but not patronizing. Loki frowns. 

"I'm as good as dead, Heimdall. Pretty sure Maw just killed me." He jokes dryly. 

"Always so dramatic, my Prince." The gatekeeper chuckles mostly to himself, shaking his head. Loki huffs in amusement anyway, a small smile on the corner of his lips. 

 

................

"He turned himself into a _what_?"

They were en route to Wakanda via Tony's private jet. He made Thor call to inform T'Challa ahead of time. Cap didn't need to know Tony was coming. It was childish but he wasn't really in the right frame of mind to deal with... _that._ Right now, Thanos was the issue, the top priority. 

"A snake. And then he stabbed me... it was pretty funny..." Thor replies with a childish amusement shining in his one eye. Oh, right. They were talking about Loki. 

It took everything in Tony not to pity the God of Thunder as he talked about his adopted brother. One didn't need a PhD to see how much Thor was hurting after that whole fiasco aboard Thanos's ship. If it had been up to Tony, he would've never thought Loki to be so selfless. Of course it could've been a ploy with much darker intentions but, no. The Loki he saw back at the hangar was broken and in tears when he locked them inside that pod. It was clear he'd sacrificed himself to save their asses. 

A lot of things were changing now that the Mad Titan entered the gameboard. 

"He's smart, if that's anything to go by." He offers, unsure of the right words. He's never been one for comfort nor has he ever been the one to provide it. He could barely keep himself together on a good day. 

"He was a fool." Thor growls, unconvincing. 

Tony sighs. "I know you're angry. But your brother's intentions were... in the right place. He did the right thing in the end, you can at _least_ give him that." 

A single tear slides down Thor's face and Tony tries his best to ignore it. 

"Feels like I just got him back only to let him slip away. It's like the Bifrost all over again." 

Tony thinks of the trickster, naked under _his_ t-shirt, shivering in Thor's arms. He'd be lying if he said that he's never given much thought to Thor's raven-haired brother before. In truth, ever since New York, Loki's been one of the things on his mind, after the impending threat of aliens of course. The Loki he'd spoken to didn't act like a villain. No, all he saw was a lost and frightened child throwing a tantrum, begging to be heard. One would expect him to be the last to recognize it but Tony knew a mirror when he saw one. Things could have gone awfully wrong with him after Afghanistan. Hell, things almost did when he'd tried to create Ultron. But thankfully there were people in his life that mattered enough to make him turn the other cheek. 

Loki didn't have that. 

"We'll get him back." 

It's an unfounded promise but a promise all the same. Thor appreciates the sentiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blep...


	4. How'd I Get So Faded?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos is an exceptionally cruel being. Loki can only take so much abuse. What makes him hold on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love your support and love for this venture. I do apologize for making it seem like the third chapter was the end. Depending on how good the reaction is, I do intend to continue. So, keep a weather eye out on the horizon ;)

How'd I Get So Faded?

 

When his eyes crack open, the light entering his retinas feel like needles stabbing into his corneas, burning the lenses. He winces with a soft whine, struggling to sit up. His body feels like it's been poked and prodded and sewn together then ripped apart like some kind of broken doll. He's still breathing and his heart is still beating in his hollow chest, so at least he knows he isn't dead. 

Yet. 

There are blood stains all over his skin, oozing thickly out of nasty gashes and incisions left by Maw's torture tools. His hair is matted to the back of his neck with cakey, drying blood and his ribs are sore. The alien had truly done a number on him, he thinks passively, planting his shaky feet flat on the bed. He's naked again, Tony's t-shirt nowhere in sight. His heart rate picks up at that and he scans around the cell frantically to find it. 

The search is futile. 

"You're up, little one." 

The deep, monotone voice startles him and he immediately goes to cover up his modesty. Thanos chuckles softly at his expense, dark eyes assessing his bare body up and down. He's never felt more like an animal. Why shouldn't he? He's in a cage, being oogled by his captor through the iron bars. The Titan opens the cell door easily, approaching him with long, unafraid strides until he's cornered on the bed with nowhere to run. His body freezes up as Thanos reaches out a hand to touch him... large fingers brushing the thick black collar on his neck. He lets out a quiet shudder and shrinks back from the touch. 

Old memories of the same touch flood his senses. 

"Don't be scared, I've come to clean you up. Maw had a little too much fun last night I see." The Titan says gruffly but there's a saccharine tenderness in his tone that makes Loki sick. He glances down at his body, skin sticky with blood. 

"M'fine..." He whimpers, knowing that refusing Thanos was hopeless. The Titan ignores him, grabbing him round the waist and placing him firmly over his shoulder. 

_He'd been falling for eons, it seemed. Everything around him was pitch black and eerily quiet. Thor's mournful expression is the only thing he sees when he closes his eyes._

_Loki- ...no!_

_It's freezing cold and his Frost Giant heritage isn't helping in the least. There are ice chips frozen on his leathers and his gloves have outlived their purpose. The icy wind blasts in his face, frosting his lips and burning his eyes. His tears are long gone but there is still that incessant ache in his chest. He was never going to be good enough for Odin. Or Asgard. Or... Thor. That particular thought wrenches a sob from his throat that he can only feel, not hear. The wind howls like a roaring beast in his ears. His own father had abandoned him as a baby, why did he think anyone would want him now?_

_The echoing voice that calls out to him almost feels like poetic justice._

_"Come, little Asgardian. I will care for you."_

_Thanos had been a beacon of light then, helping him out of an endless, torturous loop, bringing him into the warmth of his ship. Of course, Loki hadn't realized that he'd fallen into the clutches of the biggest genocidal maniac in all of the nine realms until it was too late. His first mistake was trying to escape._

_"I showed you mercy when no one cared for your insignificant hide. A little gratitude would be appreciated, child."_

_"I'm no child. I am a King!"_

_He got a royal beating for his actions by Thanos's right hand henchman, Ebony Maw. A mauling by the Chitauri followed until he was made to apologize for his crimes against the Titan. He'd been left a bloody mess with broken bones and a broken mind. Thanos had gladly comforted him, like the sadistic entity he was. First washing him clean of his own blood, then taking him to bed. He was never rough with the delicate Prince which made it that much worse. Loki had never cried as much as he did that night._

_Maw cracked his head open after that, filling it with their own twisted agendas; the Tesseract, the Sceptre... the War. New York was his first stop. It was smart, he would admit; using his own longing to be understood and validated to fuel their own sinister plan of world domin-_

"So quiet, little Prince." The Titan comments smoothly, running his fingers through Loki's long, dark curls. Warm, rose-scented water runs over his head, forcing him to close his eyes. He can _feel_ Thanos behind him, his torn up back against that hard chest. This wouldn't be the first time he's lain with another species but Thanos brings the experience to a whole other level of weird and nauseating. He places a huge fist around Loki's neck, pulling him back until his head is resting comfortably on the Titan's chest. The Prince's body is so much smaller than his, looking like a pale, porcelain doll in its master's big hands. 

"Please don't-" Loki whispers breathlessly as Thanos slips his hands further between his legs. He suppresses the urge to scream and tries to pull away instead. It's a losing battle. 

Thanos is too strong. 

The Titan's finger is hot and thick as it rubs sensually up and down his slick folds. He becomes wetter with every touch, his body unable to help itself as it receives the stimuli. Loki arches his back, the pleasure outstripping his scorn momentarily. Behind him, Thanos sighs with deep satisfaction, his cock growing hard and heavy against Loki's back. He bucks against the finger insistently circling his clit, dangerously close to his hole. He's _felt_ Thanos there already. It's a daunting sensation, one that's haunted him since New York. 

_"Cum for me, little one."_

The Prince cries out as the finger penetrates him deep inside. He has little choice but to do as he's told. The Titan continues to finger him through his climax, his pale, shaking legs spread on either side of the bathtub. His nails scrape listless against the Titan's wrists but it's to no avail. The water slaps gently against his skin, cold and murky now. The Titan's dripping hand comes up to stroke his chest, tweaking his nipples gently, at first and then roughly. 

"Mmm. It feels good to have you again." He rasps hotly in Loki's ear.

 

.....................

"We're gonna leave now..." Sam coughs awkwardly, stepping briskly around Steve to follow Natasha and Rhodey out the door. Tony is sitting opposite the ex-Captain, a neutral expression on his face. 

"The tension is enough to defeat this Thanos guy, I think." Rhodey scoffs jokingly. 

"Boys will be boys." Nat quips with an amused smirk of her own. 

Sam breaks off to go sit with Bucky in Shuri's lab. He can see the lines of worry marring the ex-assassin's face. He'd been going with Steve to visit Bucky on occasion, and as much as they enjoyed the petty pissing match between themselves, they'd figured out that they were even better friends. 

"Don't look so constipated, they'll be fine." He mutters, taking up residence on the seat next to him. 

"It's weird. Feel like I've always had to... watch out for him." Bucky huffs shaking his head. 

"You're still doing that, man. Nothing's changed." Sam reassures him, fidgeting idly with Red Wing. Sam really needs a pet or something. 

"You really need a pet." Bucky echoes his thoughts out loud. "Red Wing isn't gonna lick you or play fetch." 

Sam snorts. "You got any suggestions? Maybe one of those sheep you got on your farm, Jesus-with-a-man-bun?" 

"They're _goats."_ Bucky shoots back, defensively patting down his fluffy hair. The man-bun was all Shuri's fault. 

*

"How long d'you think, til he comes to Earth?" 

Tony's checking a surveillance system that he set up since New York to monitor any and all satellites surrounding the planet. It essentially gauged any unidentified crafts entering or leaving the atmosphere, much like the military did, only his adaptation was much more specific and could pick up infrared signals from long time periods. Surely it was only a matter of time before Thanos came for Strange and Vision. 

"Tony." Steve murmurs quietly. Tony hates the timid, cautious tone in his voice. 

"He's already got the Power stone- I think that's what it's called. And he got the Space stone from Loki..." 

"Loki?" Steve's voice is all business now. 

Good. 

"Yeah, he and Thor were captured and kept in holding cells but Reindeer got us out." He answers, his tone clipped. He's not holding a grudge- that sort of thinking would only be a hindrance at this point but Capsicle really needed to stop moping about like a lost golden retriever. 

"Is he..." The "dead" part is a given and Tony respects Steve's discretion. 

"Highly doubt it. Thanos still has him but he's smart. He'll get out." He replies almost robotically. After spending hours telling Thor the same thing, it only seemed fair that it would sound like a practiced statement. 

"He's one of the good guys now?" 

Tony feels his right eye twitch. "You'd be surprised how fast the switch up can be." He snaps a little too quickly. 

Steve swallows and shakes his head apologetically. 

"I didn't mean it like that, Tony." He murmurs softly. "Just need to know if he'll need protection if Thanos arrives and tries to use him against us like... like last time." 

That one surprises the heck out of Stark but he nods sharply. 

"Loki's a victim here, just like he was back then. He's not the enemy. Besides, Thor will have our heads if anything happens to his brother." 

Steve nods back, hands clutching his belt in that typical, Captain America way. 

"Okay. I'll make sure to tag him as a non-hostile." 

Tony offers a small grunt of approval before going back to his holographic screens. Steve is still lingering behind him like a lost puppy. 

He sighs. 

"It's... water under the bridge, Rogers. You don't have to look so emotionally constipated all the time." 

Steve scoffs pathetically, shaking his head. 

"You and I both know it's not." 

"The only thing I'm still pissed about is the fact that you didn't trust me enough to sign the Accords. I hate when people don't listen to me. Not telling me about my parents was an honest mistake; you thought you were protecting me. And Bucky was an innocent victim. I get it." 

"I offered to sign them when I returned to New York." 

"But?" Tony muses as Steve scratches at his beard. 

"Rhodey told me not to. He scrapped em." 

It feels like the first day of sunlight breaking through silver clouds after a long year of heavy rainfall when they both chuckle in amusement. Steve's eyes are shining and Tony feels his chest swell with a huge breath of relief. It feels like their banter of old again and it's a welcome emotion. He grins at his holograms. 

"Bastard never listens to me anyway. Ross is still gonna be up our asses after this whole Thanos thing, you know that right?" 

"Whatever you decide, I'll try my best to-" Steve starts but Tony cuts him off.

"To what? Listen? I took you for a lot of things Rogers but obedient wasn't one of them. If you rolled over so easily back when things got tough, we wouldn't even be standing where we're at today. I don't need you to go with the flow, Capsicle. I'm a rebel before anything else. And so are you." 

When he turns around, Steve is standing there with a huge smile on his face, the kind of smile that gets Tony going. Captain America made a career out of challenging the system- _this_ was the man his father talked about. 

Steve straightens his stance; a show of respect for the man he'd grown to admire and respect. 

"Then we'll deal with Ross when we get to that point. For now, let's focus on stopping Thanos." 

 

.................

Vhormir is a dark and desolate place that has probably never seen a good time in its existence. It's eerie and cloaked by a thick cloud of roiling smoke that smells like the burning flesh of all the bodies Nebula _knows_ are at the bottom of the pit. They all stand in the cliff's edge, looking over the edge. It's sobering. 

"He has been here already." Mantis reveals with that same quiet and innocent demeanour. 

"Then that means he's gotten the Soul stone. Right?" Rocket surmises, his whiskered snout twitching.

"I am Groot." Groot questions, finally focusing on something other than that stupid console in his hands. 

"Well it's an expansive terrain, he could've gotten it from anywhere. Right Nebula?" 

The blue alien sends him an uncertain frown before scanning the area around them. Her dark eyes are looking for... _something._

"It is too late, Guardians." A voice suddenly interrupts, sending them all into fight or flight mode. Quill activates his mask and aims his guns in the direction of the voice's sound waves. He makes out a hooded figure standing solitary on the cliff's instep. Drax takes a threatening step forward but the figure doesn't even flinch. 

"Unmask yourself, hideous creature!" He bellows, knives drawn and held at the ready. 

"I am Groot." The humanoid tree mutters awkwardly, earning a nod from Rocket. 

"Yeah, Groot's right guys. I don't think that's a mask." 

Quill narrows his eyes at the cloaked being, noticing the deep red of his face. He sure as hell wasn't normal but neither was he an alien. Just a badly deformed human. 

"Who are you?" He demands, his guns at the ready. 

"They once called me the Red Skull." 

The accent is a funny one but Quill isn't in the mood to play nice. 

"Thanos was here. I know he was. Where is Gamora?" 

"The Mad Titan has retrieved the Soul stone." Red Skull answers simply. Quill frowns, his dark eyes shining. 

"I don't give a damn about him. Where is Gamora?!" 

"Quill..." Nebula suddenly says with more gravity in her voice than usual. Her brows crease low over her eyes, her lips pulled in a tight and severe line. Her throat ticks as she chokes on a hard swallow. Mantis blinks sadly at her before turning her gaze to the ground. 

She repeats Skull's words, "Thanos has the Soul stone." 

Quill still doesn't seem to get it. 

Either that or he was really good at playing dumb. She sighs heavily, her chest suddenly feeling hollow. 

"To retrieve the Soul stone, one must give something in return. Something that they love. The stone begs a high price..."

"No..." 

"I'm sorry..." She isn't sure what she's apologizing for but Quill just repeats the same thing, over and over. 

"No." 

Quill's voice is warped with raw emotion now, his head shaking as if he doesn't want to believe what she's saying. 

"No he didn't- ...he d- ..." 

If that wasn't heartbreaking enough, she can hear the tree ask the fox quietly, _"I am Groot?"_ Gamora had always had a soft spot for him, like a mom of some sort. She was Rocket's family. She forgave Drax's hostilities and had become his dear friend, helping him to avenge his wife and daughter along the way. She'd even formed a close bond with Mantis who'd been alienated from the rest of the galaxy by Ego. 

It was only then that Nebula realized... Thanos really did love Gamora more than her. Hell, he'd had her incapacitated and bound for weeks and not once did he ever try to get the location of Vhormir from her. Because he didn't love her. 

He never did.

A single tear slips down her face as the sounds of Quill's agonized cries tears through the atmosphere. He's firing at the Red Skull but the man is a ghost. His purpose isn't to hurt them so they end up at a very ugly stalemate. Drax does his best to keep Quill from jumping over the cliff's edge. Nebula doesn't have to look over the edge to know that her sister's body is lying at the bottom of the pit, motionless in a pool of blood. Rocket's holding Groot's hand, his own tears soaking through his thick brown fur. Mantis looks hurt and lost but she steadies herself on both feet, her antennas glowing bright. 

_"No..."_

Nebula doesn't even realize that it's her voice in her own ears. 

................

He's at that bridge again; the pretty one with the dark green vines wrapped around it and the colourful flowers in full bloom. The water below him glows and sparkles like gold under the buttery sunshine. There are no clouds in the sky but the fresh smell of an incoming downpour scents the air around him. A black raven flutters its feathers on the bridge before taking flight with a soft, "caw!" 

"You are not well." 

He startles at the familiar voice, swiveling around to see Heimdall sitting comfortably under an apple tree. He's in a dark grey tunic, his sword at his feet on the grass. His brilliant golden eyes study Loki calmly, the warm breeze rustling his thick, dark locks. He offers the Asgardian Prince an easy smile but Loki can see the uncertainty that plagues him. Sighing heavily he walks down from the bridge to go sit next to the gatekeeper, legs crossed neatly under him. The shade of the tree is a welcome paradise. 

"I'm well enough." He finally answers, shrugging, Thor's cape slipping off his shoulders, revealing prominent collarbones. Why the hell was he naked again? 

"You should know by now that lies are all but futile with me. I see all." Heimdall chuckles softly. 

Loki scoffs. "Yeah, then how come you didn't see Thanos? All that power and you couldn't see a big purple alien coming to spread the good word of _genocide._ " 

Heimdall's expression grows somber and his lips quirk slightly. 

"You're right about that." He concedes quietly accepting defeat. Loki frowns hard, not used to being told he's right. He swaddles himself tighter with Thor's cape as a chilly breeze blows in between them, disturbing the dead leaves on the ground. 

"So what, are you _always_ going to be in my dreams everytime I pass out?" He asks, changing the subject. 

"The dream-speak is the only way of contacting you. I... I _need_ to keep an eye on you." 

"To make sure I don't go all dark side again?" He snorts but Heimdall shakes his head firmly. 

"I need to know if you're safe which, ...you are not." 

Bright emerald eyes blink up quickly to gauge the gatekeeper's reaction but Heimdall remains unreadable. 

"How much did you see?" He mutters, his cheeks burning with shame. He curls in closer on himself. 

"Enough." 

Heimdall's tone isn't cruel but it's not exactly proud either. Loki guessed he'd just have to live with being the brother who always disappointed the elders he'd grown up with. He scoffs bitterly to himself, green eyes hardening at the golden flow of the river a few feet away. 

"Have I made you proud, Heimdall?" He can't help but sneer even though his heart feels like it's going to explode in his chest any time soon. The gatekeeper sighs, looking away from him.

_Is he ashamed of me?_

It doesn't take him long to conclude, _of course he is._

"If the dark powers would allow it, I would blast into that ship right now and _tear Thanos limb from limb myself."_

Loki frowns, turning back to look at the gatekeeper in shock. He's never heard the man sound so... _cold_ before. His eyes meet Heimdall's and he feels a chill run through him at the murderous expression that greets him. It's grim and it's a little frightening. 

"In time, he will learn that it was his undoing, putting his hands on you, for defiling you in such a crude manner. The people of Asgard chart a course towards Earth, my Prince. I hear that's where he'll make his next landfall."

"H... Heimdall...?" 

He can't really say more because his brain wouldn't allow it. Comprehending what the gatekeeper had just said seemed almost unbelievable. Heimdall walks over to him and bows on one knee, his fists clenched hard and tight as if he's trying to hold back some great force. 

"I'm supposed to protect you. I have failed, and for that, I am sorry my liege-" 

Loki starts to shake his head in refusal but Heimdall's steady hand on his neck, a gentle touch reminiscent of Thor's touch stops him. He blinks up at the man with large, teary green eyes, his lips quivering. 

"You may have been somewhat misguided in your past, that was a fault of my own. Odin mistreated you and I did nothing because I didn't want to disobey my King. But now I see everything so much clearly... and I want you to see it as well. I love you, like my own son and you must know that I am not just incensed at the way Thanos has violated you because you are a son of Odin or the brother of Thor. I will seek my revenge because _no one,_ dares put a hand on my boy." 

The final words are hissed with a heavy conviction that makes the good Heimdall seem almost serpentine and sinister. But what they mean to Loki seems so much more validating than he'd ever experienced in his life.

Heimdall loved him... 

The great Heimdall... loved him.

He couldn't stop the tears falling hot and heavy from his eyes even if Thanos commanded it. His thin arms come up to wrap around the man's neck as he buries his face in Heimdall's strong chest. Holding on to his pride so tightly had made him forgo his own emotions. He never gave himself time to heal from the wounds, both emotional and physical, that had been inflicted upon him by Maw, Thanos... and even Odin himself. Heimdall wraps his arms around him, holding him close while he cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blep...


	5. Freedom Is Mine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos is becoming a bigger threat by the second. It seems that all the factions are converging on Earth for the War.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loving the responses to this fic. It is greatly appreciated!

Freedom Is Mine! 

 

 _"Strange? ...Hey, Strange..."_

It take a while for him to realize that the weak groaning that echoes within the hollow space of his brain is his own. His eyelids quiver with the struggle to open after having been closed tight for... _exactly how long has he been out?_ His eyes open to slits, allowing minimal light into his retinas, they're sensitive for obvious reasons. He hears the annoying voice call his name again, a squeezing sensation on his shoulder. Strange forces his eyes open wider with a few practiced blinks and frowns as a pair of clear brown doe-eyes blur and then come into focus over him. 

"Hey- Str- argh! What the hell-" 

Tony tries to wake the Doctor again but gets a literal palm to his face, long fingers just barely missing poking him in the goddamn eye. He irritatedly slaps the hand away, getting up from his crouched position near the sofa. Stephen glares at him before sitting up straight. 

"Serves you right. Why were you hovering over me?" He snipes, shaking his head trying to get the 'cotton' out of his ears. 

"You're strangely _unlikable_ , y'know that?" Tony shoots back testily, rolling his eyes at a softly chuckling Steve who's sitting at his work desk, legs dangling off of the chair. He's playing idly with Tony's tools and equipment, having nothing better to do than wait for news on casualties and assess the situation in Wakanda before Thanos arrives. 

"I could say the same for you." Strange groans digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. 

"What happened?" 

"You didn't listen to me, that's what happened." Tony snorts chucking a bottle of water at him before snatching a wrench away from Steve. 

"What?" 

"Yeah, you heard me Dumbledore. I told you to put as much distance between the stone and Squidward as possible and what did you do? Oh right, you got yourself captured a few seconds later." Tony rants, pulling up two holographic monitors. 

Strange gasps and grabs at his chest, looking down to see if the Eye of Agamotto was still there. 

It was. 

Relief floods over him before he's fired up again. 

"I told you already Stark, I'm not obligated to follow your commands, I don't work for you."

Tony shakes his head with a haughty scoff, occupied with his holograms. The vein in his neck is bulging though, revealing his frustration. 

"You still haven't answered my question. What happened?" Strange asks after a while. 

The billionaire sighs, running a hand through his disheveled hair. Steve offers him a cup of iced coffee quietly and he takes it. 

"What d'you think happened? We got beamed up into his ship. Maw tortured you to get the stone and when that failed, he used Loki to do it." 

Strange frowns. "Loki? The Trickster?" 

Tony's right eye twitches. "The _God._

He doesn't know where the hell _that_ came from. The sudden protective streak he felt in his chest at the mention of the green eyed Prince is confusing for sure. He carefully avoids Steve's curious blue stare and shakes his head. For once, Strange remains quiet, a thick brow raising slightly as if in question. 

"Maw tried to force him to use his Seidr to retrieve the stone but he... he didn't and- ..." 

"Tony." Steve suddenly calls, eyes frowning hard at the blue screen near him. 

"Cap?" 

"We got a bogey approaching from- ...uhh..." 

Tony frowns at the screen, eyes tracing a blinking point that's slowly crawling through the digital model of the Earth's atmosphere. The estimated trajectory puts the ship's destination in Wakanda, the northeastern border to be more specific. And it's moving fast. Steve's earpiece suddenly crackles to life.

"Uh, Cap, we got a problem." Falcon informs, his tone uncertain. 

"Tony's satellites just picked it up as well, it's-" 

"Stark, they're here!" Thor suddenly announces with as much grandiose of a Shakespearean actor. They all cast confused but panicked looks at the Asgardian king. 

"Who's here?" 

It's the first smile Tony's seen from Thor ever since they lost Loki. 

"My people." 

 

..................

"Are you sure about this?" 

Bruce finds it oddly comforting, putting his faith in Brunnhilde as she steers the ship through Earth's stratosphere. The exoskeleton of the ship sparks with the friction from the protective ozone layers but it's built to take such damage. The Valkyrie offers him a slight grin before turning her eyes front. 

"Are you?" She shoots back, her tone not rude or condescending. Just, empathetic. He remembers sitting with her after Thor and Loki had been taken by Thanos, talking about their troubled pasts and all the events that had led them to this. Talking about the Other Guy and how he'd become an enemy of the planet he'd tried to protect was hard but the Valkyrie listened patiently, her expression devoid of any judgement. He'd hurt people and wrecked whole cities. Endangered the people he loved... especially Natasha. So of course he'd be uncertain... going back to Earth. His chest twinges uncomfortably as he thinks of Sakaar with fleeting interest. 

He misses that place. 

Brunnhilde sighed. 

"Whatever things you or... The Other Guy might've done... it's nothing compared to what the Mad Titan is capable of. Don't wallow in your regret Bruce-" 

"I don't regret anything-" He interrupts quickly as if trying to convince himself of the fact. The Valkyrie cuts him off.

"Then rage. Don't wallow in it. Use it to defeat Thanos. It's what I do." She confides with a deadly resolution that makes Bruce inhale just a little. Sometimes he has to remind himself just how much of a badass she is. Not that he'd forgotten, just that... he can see past her tough exterior and into her grief that she still carries. The mere fact makes him nod his head in agreement. 

"You're right." 

She smirks cheekily. "Of course I am." 

The ship goes through a bit of turbulence before it enters Earth's airspace. It's entirely covered with heavy grey clouds, so they don't realize the damage that's been done to Wakanda until they break through the misty barrier. Heimdall however, can see past it all. He sheathes his sword and comes up into the cockpit, golden eyes glowing. 

"Proxima Midnight and her armies have been here. The fields are ravaged." He announces softly, just as they clear through the clouds. Just then, a great winged being flies past them, shadowing Bruce's side. Brunnhilde swerves the ship in an attempt to shake off the bird but Bruce yells, "Wait!" 

"What?" 

Heimdall blinks, a soft smile on his face.   
"I sense that he is not a threat." 

Suddenly, a voice patches through the radio. 

"Dr Banner, it's good to have you back." Sam greets wryly, the happy grin all too prominent in his voice. The Valkyrie shoots him a similar grin and suddenly he doesn't feel so unsure anymore. 

 

...................

Everything hurts. 

There's no eloquent way to put it. 

No nice way to say he's been abused by the Mad Titan himself and now his body is sore and hurts like hell everytime he attempts to move an _inch._ His legs are weak and his hair is disheveled and greasy. His pulse has slowed down by milliseconds and he swears he can see the blue of his veins through his paper-thin skin. There's an incessant pounding in his head that reverberates through his skull all the way down to the base of his neck. Hunger, is most likely the cause. Maw's been especially vocal and insistent about starving him until he's desperate enough to be malleable enough to control. 

It's a tactic that's worked before. 

_Like a New York 2.0._

He lies spread out on a large bed, tangled up in silken sheets, naked and bruised. His pale green eyes blink slowly up at his outstretched hands, observing how his thin fingers shake quietly. The light above him glows dimly, engulfing the room in a golden greenish glow. His lashes are thick and heavy on his cheekbones, obscuring his sight slightly. They're swollen red and sore from crying. Crying through the abuse, Thanos's thick length thrusting hard into his body, his back arched deep. There are dark purple bruises on the pale insides of his thighs and all the way down to his ankles where the Titan's hands had gripped tight to roughly spread him open. 

On the worse nights, he'd lie on his side, bound by the iron chains around his neck that prevent him from using his magic. Thanos would be curled around his injured back, heavy arm around Loki's thin, meagre waist, pressing down on the sharp bones there. Sometimes, it was better to close his eyes and just drift off into the dream-speak, where he'd enjoy his newfound connection with Heimdall. But there was always a downside to dreaming. The waking up was the hardest part, knowing that he'd never escape this hell he'd gotten himself into. 

It was a morbid way of thinking for sure and if his brother was there, he'd try to find a way out for the both of them. Not that Loki _wasn't_ trying to find a way to get out- he'd been trying his best. But without his Seidr and his connection with Heimdall limited to only the dream-speak, there was very little hope for his escape. And even if he did, his presence on Earth would only make Thanos hasten to the planet quicker than was planned. Thor and the Avengers needed time to plan their attack. 

_Besides, he wasn't too sure how the Earthlings would react to him being there._

He distantly recalls the conversation he'd had with Thor before all their hopes and dreams came crashing down. 

He'd asked with much trepidation, "Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to earth?" 

_"Yes of course, the people of Earth love me. I'm very popular."_ Thor had boasted with a cheeky grin, his blue eye twinkling. 

Then Loki had brought him back to reality with his soft, "Let me rephrase that. Do you really think it's a good idea to bring _me_ back to earth?" 

_"Probably not to be honest. But I wouldn't worry about it brother, I feel like everything's going to work out just fine."_

A single solitary tear runs down the corner of his eye and he finds himself wiping it away harshly. 

_Sentiment._

 

....................

"General, get these people to the refugee base." T'Challa orders, brown eyes assessing the dozens of Asgardians that disembark the ship. They all look scared and hungry and tired, and there are children hiding behind their mothers' skirts. Okoye nods promptly, gesturing to the Dora Milaje to follow. 

It's a huge welcome home party when Bruce steps off the ship, running into Tony's arms like a happy Labrador. Brunnhilde rolls her eyes fondly as she follows, nodding at Thor with a closed fist to her chest. He bows his head in a mutual symbol of respect, but she can see past the brave face he puts on.

There was only one thing that could be the reason for...

"Loki...?" She murmurs softly, already anticipating the shake of his head. It's one of the biggest losses Thor has probably ever had to face. And despite her general distaste for the trickster God himself, he'd come around when they needed him the most, helping the people of Asgard when Hela and Surtur had destroyed their home. She wasn't fond of him, but she possessed enough respect to feel sorry for his loss. 

"This is Brunnhilde." The blonde king smiles sadly, introducing her to T'Challa, Steve, Tony and Natasha. 

"Yeah she's a Valkyrie. She's pretty badass." Bruce adds, just as a huge rock-like creature steps off the ship last, with a warrior bug of some sorts. Tony's eyes widen comically while Steve, T'Challa and Nat stand with their mouths agape, weapons at the ready. 

"Hello Earthlings." Korg greets, quite cheerily considering the circumstances. 

"I'm Korg, this is Meik. Don't be afraid of me, I'm just a pile of rocks with eyes and Meik's an insect really. Nothin' to be scared of." 

"Unless you're made of scissors." Thor adds in, brilliant grin on his face as he comes up to bump fists with the Kronan.   
"My friend, t'is good to see you." 

"Hey..." Steve smiles, ever the good old lad trying to be polite. Natasha and T'Challa however, need to school their faces into something _almost_ akin to friendly. 

And Tony... well...

"This is so cool." He fangirls, prodding at Korg's rocky chest, little pieces of stone falling from the creature. Korg however seems delighted by Tony's curiosity. 

"If I cut you open, what'll be inside? Is it more rock? Or flesh and bone?" 

"I dunno man, we can check if you'd like. Although I think it'll just be more rock." Korg indulges, a huge smile on his face. Thor shakes his head fondly as they all walk toward the labs, Tony's excitement over Korg being the spectacle for everyone to enjoy. 

"My King." 

The soft voice is a familiar one and carries with it, the comfort of an old friend. Thor breathes a sigh of relief and turns to see Heimdall, the last one to exit the ship. Something automatically makes his feet walk- almost run- towards the gatekeeper, collapsing into him with grief. It's only that everyone's cleared the area that he lets his guard down and seeks comfort from his best friend. Tears slip from his eye, running down his face in wet tracks. Heimdall's arms hold him firmly, providing the type of comfort Odin had never offered willingly, for his father was ever the warmonger. 

Heimdall was _so much_ more than that. 

"All is not lost my King. Let your tears fall if you must, but I assure you that the people of Asgard will fight by your side to the very end." 

Thor forces a smile through his tears at Heimdall's words, pulling back to look the man in the eyes. 

"Thank you, good friend. I fear that Asgard, myself included, would be lost without you." He says quietly, leading them down a path that leads to T'Challa's mother's gardens. He hears Heimdall snort behind him.

"You flatter me, boy." 

"T'is true." Thor affirms, sitting on a white bench that's surrounded by an entire circular hedge of beautiful Adenium multiflora, gorgeous pink flowers with white centers; vastly different from Asgardian flora. 

"He's coming." Heimdall reveals, joining Thor on the bench. 

"We'll be ready for him." Thor states firmly with a sharp nod, but Heimdall shakes his head.

"Of course he is, my liege but I meant Loki." 

Thor turns to him so fast, it makes him dizzy. 

"You've spoken to him?" 

"In the dream-speak." Heimdall confirms, his mystical eyes glowing a fiery orange in the Wakandan sunset. 

"How is he?" 

Heimdall's silence isn't a good sign at all and Thor can feel his heart sinking in his chest with every second that Loki is not with him. He scoffs in a caustic way, shaking his head in... what, anger? Disappointment? _You let him go._

"I let him go." He echoes the voice in his head, lowering his gaze from the sun to his feet. It's been a while since he's traveled down the path of self-loathing and feelin sorry for himself but he couldn't help it, even if he wanted to. Protecting Loki has always been his top priority. 

And he'd failed him.

"I know it's hard to hear, believe me, I didn't wish to go through with his plan either... but, Loki did what he did to protect you. Please don't berate him for his choices." The gatekeeper advises, his tone carefully clipped. He'd done wrong by the younger Asgardian for most of his life, he wasn't about to let it continue. 

"I would never-" Thor begins but Heimdall nods sympathetically.

"That goes for you as well. No blame falls to you. You're doing the best you can and that is all any of us can hope for." 

Thor snorts fondly at his best friend. 

"Sometimes I think you're really the King of Asgard. It's a comforting thought." 

"And sometimes I think you and Loki are my sons. It's the best feeling in the Nine Realms." Heimdall chuckles, gaze lost off into the sun. 

 

........................

"Quill?" 

It's Rocket. 

Peter had excused himself from comandeering the ship with a stiff, "I'll be right back," before Nebula took over. Drax was sitting quietly in the seat behind them, Mantis gazing quietly out the window while Groot played on his game box thingy. Rocket's never been one for sentiment or soft moments. Hell, he'd tried his entire life to act like he didn't give a damn about anything or anyone around him. It was easier. 

Then he met the other Guardians and people like Yondu and Nebula and suddenly, he'd become a part of pretty cool family, without his consent. And it was the best thing in the world. Having people who cared and gave a damn about him even when he didnt deserve an ounce of it. It was the closest he'd ever felt to being normal. Well- ...as normal as any other scientifically enhanced rodent. He'd once grieved that he never asked to get made... now, he thinks that his plight should be, that he never asked for a family. Being a part of what they'd created only meant that it would be that much harder if he ever lost any one of them... 

Quill included. 

The soft sounds of Carole King fills the ship, her bluesy, almost mournful voice setting the mood. 

_Stayed in bed all mornin' just to pass the time,_

_There's somethin' wrong here, there can be no denyin'_

_One of us is changin', or maybe we've just stopped tryin'..._

Rocket's furry ears twitch softly as Quill sighs, shaking his head. 

"She asked me to kill her." 

He scuffs his tiny paws awkwardly, not in scorn of the emotional moment between them but because he's afraid to say how he really feels. All these feelings... 

_And it's too late, baby now, it's too late,_

_Though we really did try to make it_

_Somethin' inside has died, and I can't hide_

_And I just can't fake it, oh, no..._

"She asked me to do it and I- ...I couldn't..." 

Rocket sighs before taking the seat right next to Quill. The blonde frowns, trying to conceal his tears. He fails. He just manages to make himself look even more sad. For some reason, that bothers Rocket. He shrugs in that typical way he's perfected since inception, paws curling and uncurling on his lap. 

"Out of all of us, you loved her the most. Well- no, not really. We loved her all the same... but you loved... _loved_ her..." 

Goddamn, he was _not_ good at this. 

He growls quietly to himself as Quill glares tiredly down at him. 

"Look, she meant everything to us. She was a Guardian, a cool mom to Groot and- ...and she was _family._ " His rough voice finally breaks as the levee breaks and the tears come flooding down his face. The harshness in Peter's glare dissipates the minute he notices Rocket's tears. Now it's just mournful. 

But the raccoon continues, his tone gaining a sharper, harder edge. 

"She once said, that she'd lived her life surrounded by enemies. And that she'd be honoured to die among her friends. Then we became a family... and Thanos took that decision _away_ from her." 

Off to the side, the ship has been put on autopilot and suddenly they're surrounded by the rest of the Guardians. 

Drax stands with his muscled arms bulges and ready, knives in hand and a murderous look in his pale eyes. Mantis doesn't look so cute and sweet anymore, her antennas are glowing a bright yellow, black eyes hooded and _angry._ Groot has put his game down, his mouth pulled into a tight and gruesome sneer. Warped, twisted branches sprout out of his back like studded shoulder-guards and his arms are thicker. He looks more like the Groot of old. 

Rocket takes his stand, his own face twisted into something of _nightmares._

"He took her away from us." Peter growls, slowly standing up, his eyes dark. Cold. 

"Gamora was a warrior. She would not want us to mourn, but to keep fighting. She would want us to stop Thanos." Drax grunts. 

"I've held my own against a planet before. Thanos is nothing compared to the damage behind us. We will avenge lady Gamora." Mantis adds, monotone, her face void of any emotion but deathly intent. 

_"I am Groot."_ Groot howls, grinding his teeth like an animal. 

Rocket growls. "We're the frickin Guardians of the Galaxy. And moping isn't really our style. I for one ain't gonna sit here while that purple jackass walks free." 

Nebula, who's always donned the persona of a deadly assassin, much like her sister, cracks her neck and her knuckles, as if preparing for a fight. 

And hell, they _were._

"If Thanos has done one thing right, is that he's made me into the ultimate killing machine. My only directive, is tearing him apart piece by piece." 

Her voice is nothing but a mere whisper but that only makes her more frightening. 

Good. 

Peter looks around at all of them and finds himself nodding with a surety he hasn't felt in a long, long time. It's almost poetic justice the way the songs change. The sounds of Queen blasts through the speakers. 

_So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye!_

_So you think you can love me and leave me to die!_

_Oh baby, can't do this to me baby,_

_Just gotta get out just gotta get right outta here!_

"The only thing I want is Thanos, and his head, on a stick. Let's turn this goddamn ship around. We're going to Earth."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blep... just a little note, if some of the characters seem OOC, it's intentional. I just want so much more for my Marvel babies. And btw, I want justice for #Gamora in A4... I cried like a baby in the cinema when she died... anyway, enjoy my good ppl


	6. One Step Closer To The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians meet the Avengers... a march made in heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up. I've got some surprises for y'all...

One Step Closer To The Edge 

 

"Little Asgardian. Do you know why there are two of every kind of living organism aboard my ship?" 

The question is calm and cool-toned, as opposed to the terrorized screams that accompany every careful word. Thanos merely shrugs at the lack of a reply and carries on calmly. 

"When I retrieve all six infinity stones, with a snap, I can fix the problem that has been eating away at the Universe like a parasite for millennia. There will be, no more hunger, no more starvation, full bellies and smiling families. There will no longer be... extinction."

Another barrage of tortured screams and the sound of sizzling flesh. 

"This is why it is called the _Sanctuary 2._ The first was my own home, of Titan. But of course they didn't trust in my solution and now, it is no more." 

The screams intensify before turning into loud, wet, gasping moans, muffled heavily by the monstrosity of lips sewn together. Thanos circles the naked, broken body lying on the floor. His boots slip a little and he looks down to see the ground slick with dark, red blood. There was a reason they called Ebony Maw _'The Torturer.'_ Clumps of black hair lay strewn all over the floor in bloody clumps, it's truly a gory sight. The little Asgardian had tried to cut the Titan's hand off last night but the dagger he'd managed to conjure up was brittle as a result of his weak and practically non-existent Seidr. Needless to say, the Prince had earned his punishment. 

"You are nothing but a mere ant under my boot, little one. But I pegged you for your wit and cunning. Turns out you're just as lackluster as any common criminal. I find that _very disappointing."_

Maw slices a other six inch long incision in between his ribs. Blood pulses out of the gaping wound like a faucet. Compared to the earlier methods, this wasn't much but Loki wasn't in the right mind to compare tortures. He just knew pain. A lot of it. Thanos had used his Power stone to make the punishments worse and the reality stone to mess with his mind. His eyes were glossed over with the red shine of the reality gem and through it, Ebony Maw became Heimdall, who then became Odin, who then became Thor himself. 

"You're a monster, brother." Thor spits at him, making another deep slice. Hot tears stream down his face, his eyes wide with shock. 

"Should've died when you fell from the Bifrost, boy. _This_ is your birthright." 

That's Thanos, dressed under the guise of Odin, one eye and all. Loki feels as if a knife has stabbed him directly in the heart, much like he'd felt the first time he found out he was a Frost Giant. A keening whine whistles from his dried throat but all he tastes is the rust of his own blood. He tries to pry his lips apart but the threads are barbed wires against the soft skin. Thick trickles of blood pour down his mouth to his chin and down his neck. When trying to say "no" fails, he sobs and shakes his head instead. Odin was cruel, he expected that. 

But Thor... 

His brother had been the _only_ one to see past the crazed fanaticism of his desire to be King. Thor was the only one who gave him the time of day, who didn't write him off as a common criminal. He actually believed that there was goodness and light in Loki... when no one else did. 

_So why...?_

"You've ruined everything. Now I see that father was right about you." Thor berates him again, a nasty bitterness in his voice that seems uncharacteristic of the King his brother had become. Maybe the old Thor would have said such cruel things to him, before he became worthy of Mjolnir. But not this one. 

_Please..._

It's what he tries to say but the only sound that comes out is a muffled, howling cry. 

"I should have left you on that frozen rock, devil!" Odin hisses. 

"Betrayer of the throne, you can never be trusted." Heimdall states as if he's announcing the law. Another wave of hurt slices through him. He thought... Heimdall loved him... 

_Heimdall please-_

"I had hoped that you would not turn out to be the monster you really were. I was wrong." Frigga suddenly appears out of nowhere, casting her sad eyes down on him. _That one_ hurts something awful. 

_Mother...?_

"I should have killed you when I had the chance. If I had, then you wouldn't still be here today to ruin the Universe. To ruin Asgard! Father's death was _your doing brother!"_

Thor snarls in his face before stabbing him straight through the chest, the blade pushing its way clean through his body, sticking bloody out of his back. He gasps out, threaded wires tearing away at his bloody lips. 

_Thor...?_

The voice inside his head sounds like that of an innocent child. 

His huge green eyes blink up tearfully at his... his brother, who- ...who _should_ be sneering wickedly at him but is not. No. Instead, Thor has tears streaming down his one eye, his face pulled taut by his own grief. Almost like he's hurting himself by killing his... little... br- it's what convinces him... that it was actually Thor... 

...killing him.

_Everything fades to black._

***

Thor awakens to the sharp, out of breath panting that suddenly erupts from the room next door. It sounded as if someone was having a heart attack, he surmised, quietly crawling out of bed, sword in hand. 

The room next to his houses Heimdall, an obligatory courtesy extended by T'Challa who stated firmly that the gatekeeper should be close to the King and vice versa. Thor appreciated the gesture greatly. The Wakandan King had been a pleasant surprise for him on his return to Earth. Of course the history of _how_ the Black Panther had come to be a part of the Avengers front had made Thor realize just how much he'd missed by being away. He had _yet_ to meet the mysterious James Buchanan Barnes. 

The stuttered gasps dissipate by the time he gets to Heimdall, but the sight that greets him does little to bed down his worry. 

"Heimdall, are you alright?" 

The gatekeeper is sitting up straight on the bed, bare chest heaving hard, dripping with sweat. His hair is pulled up into its usual style but the thick locks shake with every toss and turn of his head. His golden eyes are concealed by how tightly his lids are clenched shut. There's a raspy growl underlying every breath and every gasp. 

_"Heimdall!"_ Thor hisses, trying to force his friend to snap out of his trance. 

A few more shakes and he's successful. 

Heimdall slowly blinks his eyes open, a heavy and brooding frown marring his usually calm and collected face. 

"Heimdall, _what's is it?!_ " He hisses more insistently, reeling back a little when Heimdall rounds on him with fiery eyes.

 _"Loki..."_

..................

"New York is a motherfucking mess."

There was no other way to put it, Hill supposed as her hands clenched and unclenched nervously on the steering wheel of the black Hummer. Nick fidgets frustratedly in the passenger's side next to her, cursing softly under his breath. The radio in his clutch is S.H.I.E.L.D, standard issue. Even after the institution fell, they'd held on to some useful gadgets. It couldn't hurt none and besides, Nick Fury never really followed orders. He based his decisions on gut instinct and for over twenty years, it hasn't failed him. Agent Maria Hill trusted in Fury the way Steve trusted in America. 

_Religiously._

"You called in the Code Red right?" She questioned distractedly, wolfish blue eyes narrowing at the rearview mirror. There is no way to ignore the dust and debris behind them. 

There are streets filled with cars and cabs, all abandoned and covered in dust, blood and broken pieces of concrete and plaster. Shattered pieces of glass sparkle joyfully on the asphalt, like diamonds amidst a sea of black. Thick black smoke billow in angry swirls from crashed cars and buildings that are still glowing orange with fire from the inside. The sky above them is thick with fog and smoke, no birds in sight. They're few miles away from Avengers' Tower. 

"Course I did," Fury answered testily, clicking out codes on his radio. His one eye twitches impatiently. 

"But?" Hill pushed, swerving the Hummer around a... corpse. White, male, probably 29. The sight doesn't affect her anymore though, this is probably the fiftieth body they'd driven past. 

"It won't be fast enough. Stark's satellites picked up more of those donut ships in the atmosphere. 

"Proxima and the Order?" 

Nick shakes his head. "They got taken care of in Wakanda. But more of those four legged, demon creatures are coming. And they've already had a taste for blood." 

Hill feels her stomach drop abruptly. 

"Why _here?_ Why New York?" 

"It's where Maw sensed the time stone. Besides, it's the home of one of the largest concentration of specialised fighters in this planet. I guess the other realms really know what the Avengers are capable of." 

Fury sounds smugly satisfied about the fact, remembering how he'd told the Council that that had been his _exact_ plan from the start. After the issue with Thor, they needed to pose some kind of threat to the outside forces looking in. Once again, he was right. 

"Sir, with all due respect, how the _hell_ are we gonna fight those aliens if the rest of the Avengers are in Wakanda? Code Red's gonna take a while to get here. We don't exactly have the luxury of time." 

Nick fixes his eye on the Avengers' Tower as it looms over them like some kind of great beast. The huge "A" remains lit and perfect, a stark difference from the rest of the shattered building. 

"Have faith Hill, they don't call me Director Fury for nothing." 

.................

The _Benatar_ hums smoothly as it glides gracefully through space, the stars around them becoming nothing but wisps of silvery white against the dark velvet backdrop. 

"Earth is on the horizon. We make it through the atmosphere in T- minus forty five minutes." Rocket announces, eyes narrowing at several satellites that pass them. 

"They've got eyes all over this place, so I doubt our visit's gonna be a surprise." Quill states, assessing the digital monitors on his dash. He turns back to the rest of the group, a slight grin on his face. 

"Guardians, suit up." 

*

"Uh, Thor? You got any _other_ Asgardian friends in space?" 

Tony's voice is carefully quipped but his clear, whiskey brown eyes assess his satellite monitors with the deathly seriousness of a cat stalking a mouse. The soft blue glow of his holograms light up his face as Thor frowns, immediately pushing past Steve and Nat to check the screens. 

"No, I do not. Can you get a closer look? It may be Thanos." 

Around them, the room isn't as chaotic as it is busy. Everyone is buzzing with the energy of momentum before a big fight. Those trained in the art of wielding a weapon are busily gathering their swords, guns and staffs. Brunnhilde sharpens her dragon fang while Korg and Meik strap up the leather sheaths for their own swords. Those whose own bodies are their weapons are doing full body checks with Shuri, like Nat and Bucky. And the ones with super powers stand amidst the madness, eyes dark and brooding, ready for the fight. Wanda fiercely protects Vision, T'Challa calmly observes everyone with his hands behind his back and Bruce paces the room back and forth. 

There was no doubt that Thanos was coming. 

"Whatever it is, it's coming in fast." Tony states, activating his nano-tech Iron suit. 

Sam patches in through the radio. "We got a bogey coming in the southwestern border. I repeat, the southwestern border is being compromised." 

The entire place becomes unhinged then. 

Tony can't help the excitement jumping inside of him and rattling his bones. It was a weird feeling for sure but he couldn't help it. Defending the planet was what they did best. It felt good to be back as a team again. 

_"They're- ah! Goddammit! They've opened- ...ire... I'm engaging- ...!"_

Sam's voice is crackling through the speakers now, frantic and breathless as the sounds of machine gun fire erupts in the distance. 

"Cap!" Tony yells.

"On it. Sam! Hold on, we're coming!" Steve shouts before ordering the other to follow. Bucky cocks his rifle at the ready, his long hair tied up in a messy bun. 

"Looks like they're staying high up. We're gonna need coverage." He grunts as T'Challa comes up beside him, black and purple vibranium suit on. 

"General, summon the Border Tribe. Form a blockade on the ground!" He orders, picking up the pace as they all rush into the outside, the grey skies over Wakanda a looming metaphor. The ship is _huge_ to say the least. More advanced than any other alien ship they'd ever seen on Earth. 

"Sam and I've got the top covered! Keep the ground protected." Tony calls, thrusting up into the air to hover over Wakanda beside Sam. "Where's Wanda?" 

"Protecting Vision." Steve reports, already exerted as the ship finally breaks through the clouds. 

Tony purses his lips, muttering to himself. "I mean she would be useful right now." 

"Tony." Nat sighs but they can all hear the amusement in her voice. She's probably rolling her eyes too. 

"What? I'm just saying Sam and I are kinda outnumb-" 

_"Do you ever stop complaining?"_

The black and silver suit comes up behind him, eyes glowing white, machine guns at the ready. Tony feels his face split in a wide, goofy grin as War Machine tilts it's head in salute to both him and Falcon. 

"Colonel Rhodes," Sam greets while Tony gives a tiny "Yay" at seeing his best friend by his side. Rhodey shakes his head before firing a missile at the ship.

"What're we dealing with here Tones?" 

Right. Back to business. 

"Uh, possible bogey." 

"Possible? They're firing at us Stark." Natasha grunts. 

"Yeah, I noticed." He replies wryly.

"What kinda ship d'you think it is?" Bruce pitches in, his voice curious. Tony rolls his eyes. 

"As much as I want to know about the tech on that ship, now's not the right time Bruce." 

Banner huffs, exasperated. 

"No, I meant if it's being controlled by an outside power. I don't see anyone-" 

Just as the words leave his lips, the ship discharges two alien like creatures. One is green and red and morphed into one huge, muscled mess while the other is a rich blue and reserved but deathly precise in its movements. 

"Don't you ever get tired of being wrong?" Tony sighs, firing off a shot at the green alien yelling like a maniac. 

Bruce growls in frustration. "I'm not usually wrong. But on the rare occasion that I am, _it just makes me mad."_

His voice morphs into something low and inhuman, like the roar of a great beast. Tony smiles.

"Hey old friend." 

The green Hulk is a sight for sore eyes, Bruce being MIA for so long. He'd really missed the green rage monster. 

* 

Drax's eyes widen at the sight before him. The tiny guy had transformed into a great beast right in front of him. He'd be more amazed if he hadn't faced giant, thousand pound tentacle beasts before though. This was nothing compared to that. He gives a roar of his own before charging at the monster. The Hulk takes him head on, both green entities fighting for domimance. 

"Die, green beast!" He yells with a maniacal cackle that makes Nebula roll her eyes. 

She charges at the woman with the white hair, narrowly missing a stab to the face. They engage in a quick combat of strength and agility, arms blocking kicks and punches, rough grunts escaping them both. She's good, the woman. A trained assassin no doubt. She manages a heavy blow to the gut, sending Nebula reeling backwards. 

"Shit!" Rocket yells as the Benatar takes a heavy hit on the starboard side, tilting them heavily to the side. 

"Dammit, we won't be able to hold this for long. There's too many of them on the ground." Quill grounds out, grip tight around the steering console. 

"Let's park it on top of them." The raccoon suggests snidely, a wide grin on his snout. 

"They've got a protective barrier of some kind." Mantis observes, eyes assessing the glowing blue shields held by the Border Tribe. 

"Quill, aren't you half Terran? Why are they shooting at us?" Rocket grouses.

"I am Groot." 

"So what if we fired first?" 

Quill rolls his eyes. "Alright, we'll land on that strip of land there. Best thing is to engage combat on foot. They may already be under Thanos's control." 

"I don't think so..." Mantis says softly. 

 

* 

The white haired woman is dispatched for the while but another adversary attacks her from behind. The Man snarls at her, firing his rifle but it does nothing to penetrate her mechanical body. She offers him an evil sneer before kicking his legs out from under him. They both go to charge before pausing, metal hands pushing against each other. He has a mechanical arm, she whispers in her own head, eyes tracing the fine gold lines along the black metal. Her own arm is silver and intricate against his. The soldier's blue eyes regard her with a newfound interest. 

Stalemate. 

_"I am Groot!"_

The mighty roar of the humanoid tree creature almost freezes the whole battlefield. And the raccoon screaming murder on top of it with a four chambered machine gun isn't helping either. 

"Okay what?" That's Rhodey and his ever constant state of being shook. 

"The fu-!" Sam frowns, firing his guns at the tree who only screams back. Tony feels giddy though. 

"Come on guys, we've seen the talking pile of rocks and the insect with the blade runner hands. A tree and a raccoon shouldn't be that surprising." 

"I feel like I owe Fury another ten bucks." Steve pants, blue eyes gazing tiredly at the tree. 

Groot smashes a twisted branch into the Iron Man suit. 

"My day just keeps getting better and better." Tony grins. 

*

"Surrender, now." Peter demands, mask on and his guns pointed straight at the blonde guy with the blue suit. 

"I don't think so." Steve coughs, his shields at the ready. "Who are you?" 

Quill frowns, flicking his head to the side trying to look cool. Gamora is probably somewhere rolling her eyes at him for that. 

"They call me Star Lord." 

"That's a... dumb name." 

"You're the du- what's your name then?" 

He doesn't get a response. 

"What d'you want?" Steve growls, they're circling each other now. 

"Thanos. Where is he?" 

Steve frowns, his steps stuttering slightly. "What?" 

"Don't play dumb, guy. It doesn't look too good on you." Star Lord hisses, his guns fizzing to life. Steve steadies his shields and his resolve. It would be awkward if this was one whole big misunderstanding. 

"Wait- you said you were looking for Thanos."

"Yeah."

"He isn't here." 

"Then where is he?" Quill demands. 

"He hasn't come to Earth yet. What, you think we're working with him?" 

"I'm thinking a lot of things right now." Quill mutters, getting the feeling like they've made some big mistake. Steve sighs, shaking his head. 

"We're not with Thanos if that's what you're thinking. Wh- who the hell are you guys?" 

Quill sighs heavily, retracting his mask and powering down his guns. 

"Could ask you the same thing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy


	7. It's Bigger Than You And You Are Not Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up. Thanos is coming and the planet is overrun by aliens. Who you gonna call? *Ghostbusters! (Lol jk) N.B: I'm just tossing characters in here like a soup now xD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loving the feedback my ppl

It's Bigger Than You And You Are Not Me

 

Clarity.

Solitude.

 _Calm._

There's a certain level of appreciation for the concept of being given a directive. It's standard, clear cut and there are no mixed signals. Just...

_...directive._

This wouldn't be the first time he's been ordered to burn down a whole city. Or an entire planet. Earth had been the prototype to what a "controlled Loki" could be capable of if given the right directives. He wasn't just a random pawn for Thanos's use. Loki was the son of Odin and a Prince of Asgard, but he was also an expert Trickster. Probably one of the best in the galaxy and that meant that with a little coaxing, he could prove a highly unstoppable force in the Mad Titan's army. He was the perfect weapon. 

"He is ready, Almighty Thanos." Maw declares proudly, stepping back with a flourish to admire his work. 

Loki stands tall, but everything about him is closed off and restricted. His head is bowed down, eyes to the floor and his fists are clenched tight, ready to pounce on command. His hair is shorter after Maw had taken a blade to it, the usually soft curls now greasy strings adorning his head, falling into his face like black wires. His skin is paper white, cold sweat drenching him like little specks of diamond. He's thinner than usual but his lanky form is imposing and dangerous. His thick brows hood over his eyes that shine a brilliant blue. 

The Tesseract's handiwork. 

The black leathered suit he's in fits him skin tight, long sleeves reinforced by silver plates of armor. The leather covering his long legs is sleek and ripped with jagged edges, revealing slits of pale skin underneath. The heavy black boots on his feet are fixed with steel reinforcements. And last but not least, his horned helmet was refurbished so that it no longer shone the usual bright gold but instead glowed sleek black like opal. 

Thanos doesn't feel the need to ask unnecessary questions like if Maw is sure that Loki's ready. The Torturer has never failed him before. And he was quite certain that after being literally torn to pieces and bathing in his own blood and gore a million different ways would put the Prince in his place. There was no Loki in the body that stood before him. Just an empty shell filled with whatever he wanted to stuff in there. 

_Directive._

He circles the vessel, running a finger down the pale cheekbones. 

"What is your purpose, little one?"

Loki's body stiffens up at attention, his lips drawn tight into a straight line. 

"I am here to serve, Almighty Thanos." 

The Titan's low, diabolical laugh is daunting. 

 

.....................

"Remind who these guys are again?" Rhodey questions, his face scrunched up in an impatient and confused frown. 

"We're the frickin Guardians of the Galaxy, man." Rocket snorts shaking his head. Rhodey sighs, exasperated and rubbing at his eyes tiredly, one hand on his waist. 

"Yeah, still not used to a raccoon talking to me." 

Rocket bristles instantly. 

Quill shakes his head, slightly alarmed. "C'mon man, don't call him that. He's sensitive."

"I'm not sensitive you idiot! It's about respect-" 

Rhodey can only look back at Tony with an expression that screams, _"What the fuck?"_ before retiring to the conference room. 

"I am Groot." The tree booms for the hundredth time as Tony interacts with his holographic screens. 

"Yeah buddy, I heard you the first twenty times." He quips, dragging his finger across a blue screen, eyes tracking the glowing red coordination points. 

"I am Groot." 

His nose does the little scrunchy thing and he sighs. "Really? You think so?" 

"I am Groot!" The tree responds more enthusiastically. He rolls his eyes, playing along.

"You don't say!" 

On the other side of the lab, Quill is filling the others in about what they know of Thanos and his entourage. Sam instill eyeing Rocket down with a sharp side glance while Bucky tries to stay to the raccoon's left, to keep his arm away from it. Natasha is still a bit suspicious about Nebula but she's more curious about her. It's not everyday you meet a blue alien assassin. Drax on the other hand is busy wrestling with Strange's cloak, screaming _"Die blanket of death!"_ in the background. 

"How did you find this place? Wakanda is possibly the most hidden places on the planet." Bruce questions.

"We traced a heat signal from the last ship to enter the stratosphere. Wasn't hard to establish coordinates once our thermal trackers let us know what we needed to know." Quill shrugs, glancing at Tony and Groot with passing interest. 

"The Asgardians." T'Challa nods, eyes looking off into the middle distance. 

"How many planets has he destroyed already?" Steve inquires, unaware of how Quill is sizing up his beard. 

"Xandar and Knowhere are the only two we're sure about." He replies, subconsciously scratching his beardless chin.

"Titan was one of the first to go under. It what worsened his hysteria in the first place." Nebula murmurs, dark eyes cast down to the floor. The humans all turn to look at her curiously. 

"Nebula is the daughter of Thanos." Mantis explains, sensing their interest. 

"Yeah, but don't worry. She used to be a crazed, psychotic murder assassin but, it's cool now. She's one of us." Rocket interjects coolly before any of them could cast judgement. Quill rolls his eyes. 

"So what's the plan?" Bucky asks promptly, ever the efficient soldier. 

"We need to find a way to stop Thanos from getting the stones." Strange interrupts, joining their impromptu, on foot conference. 

"Yeah, sure. But that's primary." Sam points out, setting Red Wing down before joining them as well. 

"What d'you mean?" 

Sam shrugs. "I mean, _maybe_ we stop Thanos from getting the stones. But he's still got an army. And he's a Titan." 

"What are you saying?" 

Sam purses his lips before folding his arms in that typical Sam Wilson way. 

"I'm saying what if we don't. What if he does get the stones? What do we do then? What's our Phase 2?" 

There's a notable silence in the air after he says that, everyone quietly quantifying the possible outcomes of a war with the Mad Titan. Sure it was logical to think that the first step would be to stop him from getting the stones. But in war, the army doesn't always rely on their initial plans. Situations change, shit happens and then they're forced to fall back on the back-up. So while it was nice to believe that they could stop a _Titan_ from getting two infinity stones, they had to be realistic. 

"I mean, Thor said he already has the Tesseract, that's control. He got the power stone, I think that means he's grown even more powerful. He has the power to warp reality, that's the reality stone. And he killed his own daughter to get the soul stone. I wouldn't put anything past this guy. That's literally _every_ odd stacked against us." 

The silence grows deafening after Sam's monologue, the Avengers and the Guardians all lost in thought. This was it, they realized. This was exactly what had been threatening their minds since New York. Stalking their dreams when they went to sleep and keeping them awake for days on end. This was the end game Tony had been warning them about. 

Speaking of Tony...

"You deserve a blueberry." Stark says, patting Sam on the back. 

Everyone wakes out of their reverie. 

"Sam's right. Thanos hasn't just been in my head since New York. He's been in all of our heads. Loki was our first warning. It took us this long to figure out that he's been inside Loki's head ever since but look, we figured it out. Now we need to plan for when he finally arrives." 

He walks over to Strange, patting him on the shoulder. 

"This one's got the time stone. Vision has the mind stone. They're already on Thanos's radar, I saw it when they captured me. Wherever they run, they can't hide." 

There's a brief moment of silence before Bruce speaks again. 

"So, what's Phase 2?" 

_"Kill Thanos."_

Every head in the room turns to look at the voice that had spoken. The room immediately darkens, thunder hammering down on the grey skies above them. 

Thor stands before them, armor on, fists clenched, his eye glowing blue, sparks of lightning running up and down his body. It doesn't take them long to realize that it's no longer Thor standing in front of them. 

Neither was it the God of Thunder.

Just... 

A God.

 

........................

"No... no, I don't... you saw it wrong-" 

"My eyes have never once betrayed me, my King." 

Heimdall tries his best to help the young Asgardian find reason but it's mightily difficult when he himself cannot comprehend the truth. 

Loki was dead. 

Thanos had taken his soul the minute Maw had pressed that blade into the Prince's chest, deep enough to come out on the other side. His blood had ran cold down Heimdall's fingers, the gatekeeper unable to feel or touch anything in the vision. The only power he could use was his sight and that, which had once been a gift had now turned into a curse. He could not stop it, no matter how hard he screamed and fought. Loki's pale frame jerks with a choked gasp as Maw yanks the blade out, dark blood flowing like a river from the pierced skin. One would think that seeing such a tragedy was bad enough. Retelling what he saw to Thor was worse.

The blonde king freezes up before falling to his knees, hands scrabbling for purchase on the floor. His eye darkens before tears spill out and down his cheek, soaking in his scruffy beard. Every breath is a shuddering gasp that is cut off by a choking sob through teeth that are grinding on each other, his jaw clenched tight. The sound is absolutely gut-wrenching and for the first time in maybe a century, Heimdall does not know what to say or do. 

He'd _promised_ Loki that he'd protect him. 

He _promised!_

His own heart wrenches hard in his chest in confusion, hurt, anger? ...pain? The Prince was dead. Loki... the little green eyed boy he'd grown so fond of, watching over him since he was a little blue scrap of a thing when Odin had first brought him to Asgard. He was a quiet one compared to the fluffy ball of energy that was a young Thor. Always following Frigga around with his tiny fingers clutched tightly in her skirts. He'd go with her to the library, huge emerald eyes blinking curiously at the large leather bound books full of spells and magical stories. And if he wasn't nose-deep in dusty pages, he'd be scampering behind Thor and his rough and tumble friends, skinny legs trying to keep up. 

He'd spent most of his facade of a life trying to keep up it seemed...

The thought is sobering and the small smile that had come upon his face at the precious memories immediately disappears. He comes back to reality where Thor is still on the floor, drowning in his tears, fists punching hard into the stone floor. His knuckles break the tile, cracking hard against the bare gray plaster. Blood and dust stain his fists but it doesn't seem to register. A particularly brutal punch ends with the sound of cracking bones and he lets out a mighty roar. 

"Stop!" Heimdall orders, grabbing him by the shoulders, pushing him back. He shakes his head though. 

"Let me g-!" 

"My King, _please."_

"Show me Heimdall... _show me!_ " Thor pleads, blue eye glistening. He's in pain. His fists clench in Heimdall's tunic, desperate.

How could he deny his King?

He shows him. 

Needless to say, he woke up out of the gatekeeper's vision, angry and incensed; a murderous look in his eye. He doesn't speak then.

Simply staggers to his feet and walks out of the room, casting a brief glance in Heimdall's direction. 

_"...radar, I saw it when they captured me. Wherever they run, they can't hide."_

_"So, what's Phase 2?"_

There was no other answer so Thor growled out the only thing on his mind, 

"Kill Thanos." 

 

.....................

"Now's about the right time for your Code Z to show up!" Agent Hill shouts from across the room, taking cover behind a mahogany work desk. She gasps, breathing heavily as a wild snarls erupt in the room with a bang. 

"What the hell is Code Z?" Fury yells back, sheltering on the other side of the room, machine gun in hand, his eye patch gone, exposing the damaged side of his face. 

Hill fires a few shots from a glock she found on a dead police officer. 

"Your spectacular backup plan!" She growls, narrowly missing a shot to the head. There were a few biped aliens with the four-legged beasts, reigning them in, showing them where to attack. They're enforcers of the Black Order. 

Fury rolls his eye, blasting one of the beasts straight in the face. It screams before dropping dead.

"I never called it Code Z, Hill!" 

"Well I did!" 

Maria grunts sharply, vaulting to the side as a monster lunges at her. She miscalculates the distance between her body and the secondary group of beasts however and let's out a loud shriek as she crashes into them. 

"Hill!" Fury bellows, momentarily distracted. The alien he's fighting takes advantage and boxes him in. 

"Motherfucker..." He mumbles under his breath, feeling the sharp claws sink into his arm. On the other side, Hill cries out as the beast takes its claws down her chest. 

"Nick-!" 

She's never been considered a super hero. No. Always Agent Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. The woman who always followed Nick Fury's orders like a loyal subject. The one who never questioned him and the one who would it down her life for a cause. Today, that cause would be for the survival of the entire planet.

Or at least, that's what she thought. 

The beast above her suddenly gives a bloodcurdling screech, it's chest ripped open by a fiery fist. Hill's blue eyes widen in shock as the other beasts surrounding her start crashing and burning- literally. An iron chain lassoes around them, brought to life by the flames of a deathly fire. They turn to black burning ash in a matter of seconds. 

A few more blinks and she still can't believe what she's seeing. 

The man in the black, leathered biker jacket flicks the iron chain again before lassoing the alien currently digging into Fury. It burns within seconds as well. He turns to wink at her, hollow holes in his face where his eyes should be. Then she realises, the man is a walking skeleton, bathed in fire. His jaw is clenched tight, revealing two rows of teeth, like a grim smile. 

_What the hell?_

Another beast comes flying at the skull man, letting out an animalistic scream but it stops just short of him, jerking back with a familiar elasticity. Fury winks at Hill.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Spiderman greets cheerfully, flipping out of the way before trapping the beasts neck between his legs, snapping it like a twig. 

Fury cackles out loud, almost like a joyful shout, limping out from under his hiding space, with a bloody grin. Hill's still catching her breath. 

"Where's your friend?" Fury coughs out, his one arm huddled close to his chest. 

Spidey shrugs while the skeleton man huffs, reeling in his chain into a loop to hang at his waist. The doors of the building open, to reveal the man in the dark red suit, two katanas in hand, dripping with blood. 

"What the fucksicle did you do _this_ time Fury?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy


	8. Don't Make Me Fall On My Knees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up. Tony and Thor are in their feelings. The heroes are gearing up for an all out war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for making y'all wait so long

Don't Make Me Fall On My Knees 

 

"There is no doubt General, containment seems wise. But I am afraid of the toll this war is going to take on Wakanda." T'Challa sighs, conflicted. His dark hazel eyes cast a serious gaze across the torn up and disheveled expanse of the once-green land of his country. Beside him, Okoye purses her lips, brows brought down in a severe frown, right hand clasped tightly around her golden staff. 

"I trust in your judgement my King. Wakanda can only endure so much before we are destroyed. Perhaps compartmentalizing this war may be the best option." She replies after a while, the weariness clear in her usually sturdy voice. T'Challa chances a glance over at her and huffs in quiet amusement. Okoye smirks at him in question.

"What?" 

He shrugs as they begin to walk back to the conference room where the other heroes await his counsel. 

"Nothing. Just... I think you'd make a formidable Queen of Wakanda. The power of the _Black Panther_ can only make you stronger." 

_Three days._

Three days had passed and still there was no sign of Thanos or his ship. Tony's monitors kept grinding through the footage and satellites though. They weren't keen on being surprised by the Mad Titan. He would come, soon. In addition to Stark's surveillance, they also relied on Heimdall's powers, trusting in the man's solitude. He hadn't said much in the three days either so they were pretty much at an uncomfortable juncture in the war. The Avengers and the Guardians took the time to plan and prepare.

"There's only so much abuse Wakanda can take before it collapses entirely." Bucky was saying as the Wakandan King and his General entered the room. 

"The _White Wolf_ is right." Shuri agrees, assessing her holographic screens. Tony is right beside her, pointing out coordinates and providing his own input. 

"D'you think we can maybe galvanize the border through this broken patch here? Keep the refugees safe there until we come up with some other plan?" He suggests, finger prodding through the penetrable screen. Shuri's brows furrow in consideration before she nods. 

"It's the best option for now." 

"Can I just- ...your programme is _top notch_ by the way. And I do not say that very often." Tony compliments, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a little smile. Shuri finds herself mirroring his grin, the sciency-fangirl in her doing cartwheels in her chest.

"Oh it's no big deal. Just six years of coding and a lot of coffee." She jokes. "Nothing great like building a super-bot in a cave." 

Tony feels his grin falters a bit when he turns to her and finds her looking back at him with a sparkle in her eyes. There he found no judgement or snark, just a little girl who was probably a science nerd and saw Tony Stark's story as an inspiration. 

And she was. 

"My sister has always fancied your work, Mr Stark." T'Challa reveals, approaching them with a smirk. Tony finds himself blushing as Shuri nudges T'Challa hard with her elbow. 

_"Shut up, brother._ Don't you have a conference to address?" 

Tony winks at her and she smiles back, T'Challa rolling his eyes goodnaturedly at their antics. Too much cute for him in one day he supposed. 

The room quiets. 

"As much as it pains me to admit, the fortress that is Wakanda cannot sustain or contain us for much longer." He announces, hands behind his back. Steve sits at the far end of the oval conference table, Bucky right next to him. Their hands are brushing up against each other, knuckles together as if they can't keep away. 

"We share your concerns and agree fully, T'Challa." Natasha responds, her green eyes firm yet understanding. She was one of T'Challa's closest friends and correspondents, so she fully understood the difficult position he was in. 

"Wakanda has served a vital purpose as our refuge in these dark times." Thor adds, his tone grave and his face grim but he is not without kindness. They can all see the deep frown lines creasing his forehead. Tony regards him quietly from across the room, distantly perceptive for once. Loki, no doubt is on his mind. 

"What d'you suggest we do?" Star Lord questions, a lost look in his blue eyes. Guardian or not, Earth was still uncharted territory for him, geophysically and emotionally. 

T'Challa looks to Okoye. 

"Compartmentalization. It's our best strategy for salvaging what is left of Wakanda and New York. These areas, they've been hit the most in the past week or so." The General explains efficiently, nodding at Shuri to key up some holographic location layouts. She indicates to the map of Wakanda.

"The northwestern areas have been hit the most. The rest of Wakanda is in _relatively_ good shape but with the Mad Titan coming, I am sure he will bring more of his enforcers. If they are anything like the Outriders, then the borders won't be able to keep them out for long. We can keep the refugees- both Asgardian and otherwise- safe in the refugee institutions here in Wakanda. New York is already cleared and everywhere within a two hundred mile radius of it. You will have more of an advantage there." 

For a moment, they all sit in silence, eyes hooded by brooding brows and creased foreheads. Their lips are pursed in thought and the Earth stands still as they ponder the ramifications of the next few days. It's gonna be Armageddon for sure. And there will be blood spilled and hearts broken. This war was their reckoning. 

For the first time of the evening, Tony addresses the entire conference of heroes. 

"This all started, more or less in New York." 

He offers them a smirk which Natasha, Bruce, Steve and Thor all return. 

"It's almost goddamn poetic that it should end there." 

..................

After the conference breaks up, Tony finds himself downing a cup of iced coffee while sitting in Thor's room. The Asgardian King stopped pacing a few minutes ago, deciding to save up his energy for Thanos by sitting next to Tony on his barely slept-in bed. Didn't stop his mind from running a mile a minute though. He growled frustratedly, fingers in his short hair. 

"C'mon Pointbreak, that's not helping things." Tony says softly, still a bit in shock after what he'd heard. 

_Loki was dead._

When Thor had revealed what Heimdall had seen, a sorry scoff on his lips, Tony had wanted to punch his lights out. But he stopped when he realized the pain the King was in. It must've taken _everything_ in him _not_ to cry. Hell, Thor had spent his entire life trying to protect his little brother. From their father, from Loki's real father, from the darkness... For a long time, Thor had been one of the only ones to really see past the projected darkness of his brother. He always knew the sweet, quiet and beautiful person Loki really was on the inside. So... to just lose him to Thanos... no goodbyes, no saving, ...no, chance to tell him how much he _really_ loved him, well- ...that really hurt. 

Tony remembers the little kid he saw in Loki, the first time they'd met. He remembers seeing himself in the trickster god. The Tony Stark who _hadn't_ escaped the horrors of his capture back in Afghanistan. A Tony who _hadn't_ decided to scrap mass producing deadly WMDs. And a Tony Stark who just wanted to unleash all the pain of his past, his father, his messed up childhood, Afghanistan and the betrayal of who he believed to be his closest friends. In Loki, he saw what he _could've_ been. 

It only made his empathy for the dark haired God grow stronger. 

Which only made his death, _that much_ worse. 

He feels the onslaught of an imminent rush of tears, his cheeks growing incredibly warm as he sits there, next to Thor. And though he was never a public crier, the stupid tears slipped down his face of their own stubborn accord. He has to look away in order to save face, adamant to keep his streak up. When his parents died, he hadn't shed a tear until he was locked up in his room, Jarvis just outside his door begging him to let him in. Then Stane betrayed him, and he still hadn't cried to Pepper or anyone about it, despite feeling as if everything had been ripped from him. Not to mention his most recent heartbreak, when the Avengers broke up, leaving them at terrible odds, and his best friend potentially paralyzed. He still hadn't cried in front of Rhodey or Natasha, no matter how many times she'd tried to reach out to him. 

But this...

 _This_ was the thing that broke him? 

Losing Loki... ? 

"My only hope is that he is with mother and father in Valhalla." Thor finally chokes out, head low, the static energy fizzing between his palms. 

Tony can't help but scoff. Thor barely reacts to him though.

"How're you so sure _Eye of Sauron_ hasn't made a mistake? Maybe he can't see Loki anymore cos Squidward put a spell on him or something." He argues furiously wiping at his face as Thor glances darkly at him. 

"Do not call Heimdall that. He's the only family I have left..." 

Tony deflates further, a salty tear slipping down his lips. 

"No he's not, you know that." He reprimands softly. "You have us... you- ...Thor, you have _me._ " 

He finally makes eye contact with the God and isn't shocked to see the tears mirrored in the electric blue orb. The eyepatch suits him unreasonably well and Tony wants to reach out and touch it- ...but he doesn't. Thor offers him a small smile but it's grim and filled with agony for his brother. 

"I'm sorry I told you we'd get him back... I'm sorry I lied..." Tony chokes out, the coffee cup slipping from his shaking hands onto the floor, ice chips spilling across the dark ground like stars in the night sky. Thor thinks that if he looks at it long enough, he can almost pretend he sees Loki floating carelessly in the expansive space, a soft smile on his pretty face. He wipes away his tears and places a gentle hand on Tony's shoulder. 

"I assure you that you do not share that burden alone, my friend." 

It's the closest they've ever felt to each other in a long time.

 

..................... 

"Just keep pressure on it, the bleeding will stop soon." 

"Didn't know you were a paramedic as well Blaze?" Fury snarks idly, nevertheless doing as he's told, the wound on his chest throbbing with a burning pain. Hill's wolfish blue eyes track the man's every movement as he walks a few steps back to settle atop an abandoned table. The chains rattle against the metal, hanging at his waist like some kind of hardcore cowboy. His leathered biker jacket and dark jeans give him a James Dean vibe and his dark hair isn't helping either. 

"Hill, you alright?" 

She turns her stern look to Fury and instead answers with her own questions. 

"Who is he? And why am I only now hearing about him?" 

"Name's Johnny, ma'am. Johnny Blaze." The stranger replies, nodding politely towards her. She doesn't let up though and just fixes Fury with the same levelled, unsatisfied stare. 

"It's a long story Hill-" Fury sighs but Blaze answers again. 

"I've got... special powers, the same as any of your precious _Avengers._ Just here to help." 

"Yeah, you're welcome by the way." Deadpool snarks cheerfully, trotting into the room with an out of breath Peter Parker behind him. 

"H- ...he _can't die."_ The kid half stutters, half gasps, his brown eyes wide with shock and amazement. Wade stands haughtily beside him, hands on his waist like he's proud or something. 

_He most likely is._

"Unfortunately." Fury quips, fiddling with his radio. He bangs it fruatratedly a few times before exhaling in defeat.

"A whole friggin Stark tower and nothing works." 

"This place is nothing without Stark himself, Jarvis or Friday." Hill reminds the Director, slapping Wade's pesky poking finger away from the gash across her chest. The bleeding isn't too bad or life-threatening. But they do need a place to tend to their wounds and to regroup. Food and water would also be nice. 

"Can we talk about why you called us?" Peter interrupts skittishly. 

Fury sighs, slipping back on his eyepatch. "A big alien is coming. He wants to destroy the Universe. We need to help the Avengers stop him." 

"Yay!" Wade squeals excitedly, clapping his hands like he's a kid enjoying a puppet show. He's always wanted to be an Avenger. 

"Where is he now?" Blaze demands, dark amber eyes serious. 

Nick shakes his head. "He hasn't reached Earth yet. But he'll be here soon. He's already sent his children and those... those four legged beasts-" 

"The Outriders." Blaze says quietly, arms folded. He continues when everyone shoots him raised brows. 

"They call themselves Outriders. I've faced some before. Mephisto has a very large basket of adversaries to pick from." 

"Mephisto?" Peter echoes curiously. Johnny opens his mouth to provide context but is cut off by Wade. 

"Doesn't matter Pete. Thanos is our problem now. My question is, where the _hell_ are the Avengers?" 

*

As if on cue, Fury's radio crackles to life. 

"Stark-?!" 

"Fury? My, my it's good to hear your voice." Tony quips over the choppy line, his voice a welcome sound. 

"Hey Mr Stark!" Peter grins cutely earning a blushy smile from Wade. There's a pause from Tony's end. 

"Kid? What the hell are you doing with Fury? He's dangerous, get away while you can!" 

Both Fury and Hill roll their eyes while Blaze paces a few feet away from them, cracking his whip across the floor. 

"I- I'm okay Mr Stark!" Peter assures Tony, shaking his head at Fury. 

"Stark, where the hell are you? New York's a mess-" 

"Yeah, long story Nick- we're in Wakanda..." 

"Wakanda?" Hill whispers, slight frown on her face. 

"Stark-"

"We're on our way Fury. How's it lookin?" 

The former S.H.I.E.L.D Director huffs with a caustic shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head. He narrows his one eye at Deadpool currently whispering something in Peter's ear making the boy giggle uncontrollably. The Ghost Rider looks on with much indifference, hands stuck in the pockets of his leather jacket. 

"Oh it's just peachy here Tony." 

 

.................

The world around him is dark for a couple breathless moments. It's blurry and his chest feels rock hard until he chokes out a cough and sits up. After a few blinks, the space in front of him clears into an expanse of gold. The metallic texture of his surroundings makes everything seem fake, like a perfect kind of dream. He closed his eye for a solid moment again, trying to remember what he could. 

_There was a blade..._

_...it pierced me through the heart... I think..._

_Thor... he did it... and then he cried..._

Wet tears spring to his eyes upon a sudden wave of grief and he rolls onto his hands and knees, heaving the meagre contents of his stomach onto the green grass under him. A soft wind blows over him gently, making his hair flow in wispy waves around his face. His cheeks are reddened from the exertion, lips dripping with the disgusting taste of bile. He groans in disgust, wiping his face roughly. 

_"It can be disorienting at first."_ A soft voice suddenly says, startling him to his feet. He turns to see a woman staring sagely at him, her green skin reflecting mystically off of the golden light shining above them. She regards him with a careful indifference, purple hair glowing reddish in the unnatural light. 

"You must be Gamora." He surmises quietly, washing his hands out in the golden lake down the rolling hills. He's draped in dark green silk robes reaching just on his thighs, his long pale legs on display like some godly model. He cups his hands to hold some of the clear water, bringing it over his face to wake himself up- ...if he could. 

"And you are Loki, the Trickster God." She answers evenly, making him chuckle in that typical Loki way. 

"Don't be so condescending, daughter of Thanos." He sneers lightly, too tired to pull off a good snark. Gamora lowers her head and smiles to quietly to herself. 

"I am known to come off as extremely condescending. My apologies." 

Loki shakes his head and dismisses her with swat of his hand. 

"If I were that easy to bruise, I would not have made it this far. Where am I?" 

She sighs heavily, coming to sit down next to him. Her dark red suit is well tailored and fits sleek on her lithe frame. The native marks on her face glitters on her cheekbones, dark green lips in a tight line. 

"They call it the Soul World. Side effect of the Soul stone." She answers simply, hands tearing destructively at the grass between them. He frowns, confused for once in his life. 

"When my f- ...when Odin searched for the gauntlet in his days as a malevolent King, I assumed he'd know all there was to wielding the infinity stones. He never told anyone what he knew though. Not even mother..." 

Gamora nods slowly. "Odin was the blueprint which Thanos followed, in order to retrieve the stones." 

Loki ran sleek fingers through his long hair, thinking of Hela. Odin was a bloodthirsty king once, before he had Thor and then decided to be a good man. 

How hypocritical. 

"He never got all though." 

Gamora nods slowly. "Odin refused to give Hela up as a sacrifice for the stone. I guess even _he_ had his limits when it came to his children." 

Loki's brow furrows slightly, noting the melancholy in her tone. If she was in the Soul World, then that could only mean one thing. Sadly he identified with her pain, recalling the many times Odin had made him feel inferior and different, without telling him his true parentage. He always played second fiddle to Thor's apparent greatness. It forced him grow up resentful and angry. He'd missed half of his life because of his anger and hurt. He sighs sadly, thinking of how much Thor had paid for a grievance that wasn't his, but his father's. 

But, Loki, never one to squander on the moment, shook his head. 

"There must be some way to get out of here. Our bodies are still out there, somewhere." 

Gamora glances at him. "I've tried. There's no way out of here unless he destroys the stone." 

"No, I'm not waiting. There's got to be a way out of here. I- ...my brother is out there..." 

"So is my sister." 

They both welcome the silence of the Soul World with weary sighs, their eyes ablaze with the golden light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blep, I love ghost rider


	9. Always In My Headspace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momentum is building. The Avengers, Guardians, Deadpool and Ghost Rider all gear up for the fight. Turns out, Thanos is building his own army as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured I owed you guys another quick chapter...

Always In My Headspace 

 

It's a vast relief to see the Avengers Tower alive and kicking once again. 

Tony's grin literally lightens up the room as he steps into his lab. Everything seems to be working just fine, despite some minor infrastructural damages. His prototype suits are in stellar condition in their activated chrome casing and his holograms are up and running. He narrows his eyes at several monitors that are focused on the atmospheric thermal-location layout. 

Nothing yet. 

"Hey Mr Stark!" 

He resists the urge to roll his eyes and stamp his feet like a kid and forces a wry smile at Peter's sweet, little blushing face. The boy was always so genuinely happy to see him, it was almost adorable. _Almost._ The kid attracted trouble like an ant to sugar. He was too eager to help and one day, God forbid but it was going to get him hurt. 

"Hey kid. Uh, you mind telling me what you're doing here?" He replies, wincing inwardly as Peter's face falls slightly. 

"I got a distress signal from my suit- thanks for the tech by the way. This stuff is _amazing!"_ The boy reveals excitedly. Tony frowns.

"Distress signal?"

"Yeah, Director Fury needed back-up and he called me." Peter boasts proudly, chest puffing up with pride. 

"No he didn't call _you_ specifically-" 

"I know Mr Stark, I know but-" 

"And yet, here you are."

"Look, you can't be a friendly neighborhood Spiderman if there's no neighborhood." 

There's a dramatic pause before Tony lets out a a deep and tired sigh. Peter smiles nervously before shaking his head. 

"Okay, that doesn't make sense but you know what I mean." 

He sighs and heads to the lobby where Fury is debriefing everyone. 

"Look, just stay close, okay? I don't want your unnaturally good-looking Aunt May to kill me if anything happens to you." 

Peter grins ear to ear and happily follows Tony like a playful corgi. 

 

................

"Ooh ooh, I have an idea!" 

Steve frowns, turning to the dude in the red and black suit. 

"I'm sorry, _who_ are you again?" 

The guy snickers under his mask and offers a hand. 

"Wilson. _Wade_ Wilson." He introduces coolly, cocking his hip out sexily. Bucky rolls his eyes. 

"They call him Mr Deadpool." Peter pipes up excitedly, just thrilled to be amongst the Avengers again. 

"Please, please. Mr Deadpool was my father." Wade jokes cheesily, winking at Peter from under his mask. Tony huffs, folding his arms, annoyed. 

"What d'you want, Pool?" He demands testily.

"I called him, Stark. He's annoying but he's a good guy to have around in a pickle." Fury defends, earning a sniffle of awe from Wade and a soft, _"wait- annoying?"_

"New York's a mess." Bruce comments, looking around him sadly. Natasha squeezes his shoulder carefully, her green eyes dimmed. 

"And Thanos is coming." Thor adds gravely, his blue eye narrowing at Deadpool who's whispering something to the Ghost Rider. Blaze just stands there stoically, arms crossed, chain in hand. He looks nothing short of bored. 

"We need to be prepared for when he comes. Because he isn't coming alone." Quill grunts, fiddling with his _Zune._

"Thanos will be hard to miss, but the dangerous guy is Ebony Maw. Take him out if you have to, but I'd prefer to be the one to end him." Dr Strange informs, his dark hazel eyes glazed with an aura of certainty. He fixes his yellow gloves on his hands just as his cloak comes to rest on his shoulders. 

"Wait, who are you guys?" Peter questions curiously, huge hazel eyes blinking at Quill and his band of misfits. Then Rocket speaks up and he freaks.

"Chill, skinny bastard. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy." 

"This is so cool! You guys are like the Space Avengers!" 

Thor frowns, genuinely confused. 

"Who does this spider-child belong to?" 

Peter frowns sadly while Deadpool pats him on the back. 

"Whoever's coming, it doesn't matter. We beat the crap out of it, let it feel the wrath of the fires of Hell." 

It's the first time Johnny Blaze has spoken and his voice carries with it, the deadly whisper of a tortured soul. Steve's brow dips a bit at him but he nods in agreement anyway. 

"He's right." Rhodey sighs, kicking out his legs to test their flexibility. "On the battlefield, it's always best to expect the worse and prepare for that. We might not know _when_ Thanos is coming, but what we _do_ know, is that he _is_ coming. Our best bet is to hit him at once, but not at the same time." 

"We must procure the Gauntlet from his hand." Drax growls, his pale eyes fierce and fiery. 

"I am Groot." The tree puts in.

Rocket nods, playing with a machine-gun looking weapon in his lap. "Groot's right. With the Gauntlet, he can end half of us with one snap. The Gauntlet goes first." 

Tony's brow rises high into his hairline but before he can speak, Thor intervenes. 

"The rabbit is right. Thanos is nothing without that Gauntlet." 

_"Rabbit?"_ Rocket mutters to himself, a confused look on his face.

"So the Gauntlet goes. After that, kill anyone who gets in our way." 

The finality in Natasha's voice puts everyone on notice. There was a war to be fought. It was going to be a bloody affair, best not to trip over their words. 

 

..................

His bed feels warmer than it usually is, the dark silk soft and buttery on his skin. He's bare naked, his muscled body wrapped around a smaller, slighter body. The skin is pale and creamy, and the hair is long and black and sleek like oiled waves, wrapped in pretty curls around his fingers. A smile pulls softly on his face and he rubs his bristly beard on the smooth neck close to his lips. He plants a kiss there, right on the nape, smoothly rubbing his lips on the soft skin. This doesn't feel like anything he's ever felt with Pepper. He blinks his brown doe-eyes wide open and glances down at the pretty thing he's currently spooning. 

He freezes...

 _"Loki...?"_

The beautiful, green eyed Prince turns his head sleepily, a lazy smile on his face. 

"Mmm." He murmurs softly, pulling Tony's heavy arm over his skinny waist. Tony's fingers move on their own accord, warm fingertips rubbing the flat stomach lovingly. Loki mewls under his touch, arching his back into Stark's front. Heat pools in his stomach, and trickles down into his lower regions. He finds himself grinding slowly but firmly into Loki's cute little behind. 

_"Mm, kiss me... please Tony..."_ The Asgardian pleads desperately, his thin fingers wrapping tightly around Tony's wrists. He arches his neck back, turning his face to the human's, their lips touching gently but not kissing quite yet. Tony feels Loki's sweet breath mingling with his and and doesn't leave space for much question. He bites at Loki's plump pink lips, making the precious thing whimper sweetly. When they kiss, it's like he's discovering the wonders of his own life all over again. 

He smiles as a tiny keening sound leaves Loki's slender throat. He pulls away, a small string of saliva connecting their glistening lips. 

"Oh," Tony moans, thumb stroking Loki's neck. "You're a little kitten, aren't you?" He coos gently, a bit surprised at the genuine smile on Loki's pretty lips. He nips at Tony's beard, making the human's nose scrunch up adorably. 

Tony always had a cute, laughing smile. 

"I miss you Tony..." Loki admits quietly, draping a long, waxy smooth leg over Tony's corded waist. Jesus, he can _feel_ the pulsing, throbbing heat of that magical place between Loki's legs. He wants a taste... _bad._

He frowns as Loki plants a series of little butterfly kisses all over his face and neck and chest. 

"I miss you too, Reindeer." He murmurs distractedly as Loki continues his kissy onslaught. His cock stiffens when Loki nibbles on his ear. 

"Yeah?" 

"Mhm. Mm- was pretty stupid and selfish what you did back on Thanos's ship." He berates gently, groaning out loud when Loki humps against his thigh like a little bitch in heat. He can feel a telltale wetness spread on his heated skin. 

_Fuck-_

"I saved you and Thor." The Prince answered back hotly, sitting directly on top of Tony's hard cock, pretty long coltish legs spread on either side of the mortal. His hot, wet center is pressed and spread on the thick ridge of Tony's dick. 

_"Christ..."_ The billionaire rasps out, breathless. 

"I can _feel_ your wet pussy on my cock." He growls, slapping Loki outright on the ass, making the God yelp in pleasant surprise. 

_"Oh Tony!"_

"Yes baby..." 

_"Tony... hngh! Fuck!"_

"I'm here baby..." 

"Tony? Tony!" 

"Ye- what? Wait- I'm up!" 

Loki and the bed and the pretty sounds coming out of the prince's lips all dissolve as his eyes crack open abruptly, leaving him in a shaky mess. He blinks his sore eyes a few times and frowns hard at Rhodey, the man prodding his shoulder to wake him up. 

_Why can't I ever get what I want?_

He huffs petulantly, giving Rhodey a vicious side eye before pushing off the office chair he'd fallen asleep on. 

"What d'you want Rhodes?" He snaps, left eye twitching maniacally. 

His best friend backs up dramatically, eyes glinting wickedly. 

"You were making some serious happy noises. I'm sorry man, didn't mean to disturb your wet dream." He cackles, placing a bowl of food in front of him. Tony's eyes widened as he kept his head bent low to hide his blush. He glanced down at the tent in his trousers and his eyes slammed shut in embarrassment. Thankfully Rhodey doesn't torment him more. 

"Eat, you haven't eaten all day." He points out, slapping Tony on the back twice. 

"Where is everyone?" He asks groggily, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. 

"Resting up, monitoring the skies. Don't worry. We're fine, for now." 

Tony nodded, his expression turning serious. 

The war was coming... and apparently, so was he...

He sighed in disappointment at himself.

If only his dirty mind would allow him the dignity he knew he was capable of. 

 

.................

Loki gasps awake as soon as the ice cold water hits him in the face. 

"Mblergh!" He splutters, coughing and shaking his hair like a wet cat. 

"It is nightfall." Gamora announces with that typical casualness she's perfected since birth. He glares up at her with a poisonous sneer before getting to his feet. 

"You'll pay for that." He hisses, turning up his nose in disgust at his soiled robes. 

She offers him an innocent smile that is anything but. 

"One battle at a time, Princess. Now, your plan." 

Surprisingly, he doesn't have a problem being called a Princess. 

Ah yes, _the plan._ He thinks with a nervous air. This was by far one of the worst ideas he's ever had- minus going along with 'Get Help'. He 100% was sure it wasn't going to work but it was their only option. Being stuck in the Soul World wasn't. He could only hope that Helheim would accept his offer. 

"So, you're certain Surtur will grant us assistance?" Gamora demands as they trudge down the soft decline of a small hill. 

Loki twists his face at her. "I never said that. Surtur is one of the most powerful beings in the Nine Realms. I highly doubt he'd take kindly to Thanos's attempt at stealing his spotlight." 

Gamora raises a brow at him. "Not everything's a grand show, Princess. I don't think Thanos cares about who's the greatest showman in the Galaxy." 

Loki snorts. "Then you must not understand men. That's their basist instinct, fighting like common mortals to be the finest specimen society has to offer. It's immature and rudimentary, uncivilised." 

"I think I might have to agree with you there." She admits with a dry chuckle. The irony is not lost on Loki, the whole talk of man fighting to be superior. Perhaps that was once what he wanted; that much he could admit. But his purposes were far more noble. At least in the beginning. 

Now he just felt, lost. 

_"Asgardian."_

They both startle at the loud, thunderous boom of Surtur's voice, echoing across the plane like a mighty roar. Loki gulps unintentionally, bright green eyes narrowing at the flaming demon. His fiery crown sits atop his head like great big eyebrows, as Thor once described. 

_Oaf._

"Surtur." Loki responds dumbly, feeling a bit of trepidation after the whole Ragnarok thing. 

"I know why you have come to me for help, Loki Odinson. But I am afraid, _I_ cannot help you." Surtur simply reveals, not a hint of apology in his tone. 

Gamora glances at Loki before bowing at Surtur's feet. 

"Surtur, Thanos is-" 

"I know _exactly_ what Thanos is doing, child." The demon interrupts crossly. 

"Then you know what you must do." Loki interjects, his mouth in a hard line, eyes glowing coldly at the demon. 

"Help us. Help us defeat him!" 

Surtur shakes his head again however, twirling his blazing staff lazily between his fingers. He leans back leisurely on his throne, legs spread wide. 

"As I have said before, young Jötun, _I_ cannot help you." 

Gamora frowns, her dark eyes flashing interestingly at the demon. When she speaks, her voice is filled with wonder and understanding.

"So _you_ can't. But you know someone who can?" 

Loki frowns hard as the ground beneath them begins to rumble, the sounds of splitting stones and cracking rocks echoing around them. He feels his heart fly up into his throat as the air picks up around them, black and dark and menacing. The flecks of lightning around them should be familiar but they're not. Gamora already has her blades out, standing in position to attack. So Loki does the same, daggers at the ready for a fight. Surtur on the other hand, gazes upon them with a lazy gait. He might as well be picking at his nails or something. 

A lone figure struts out of the ghastly black smoke, almost as if in slow motion, poison green eyes regarding them evenly. 

_"Hello again brother. Did you miss me?"_

 

.....................

Everything is calm out in space. 

Almost like the calm before the storm, Thanos thinks with a huff. He sits atop his mighty throne, in silence and solitude. Loki is standing at his side, ever the obedient soldier. His eyes are glowing blue and his face is pulled tight into a menacing sneer. He's unresponsive until Thanos gives him order. In the distance, he can hear the tortured screams of some poor alien, another victim of Maw's. The Torturer had been getting his frustrations out after Thor and Stark had escaped since he was already through with Loki. 

"The ship is ready. We chart a course to Earth in approximately twenty minutes." The ghostly figure in the dark cloak announces with a quiet air.

"Good." Thanos responds, an idle finger stroking down Loki's hair. 

"If I'm being honest, I'd say I was confused as to why you'd think it was a clever idea to come back for me." The figure says, hollow eyes staring out into space. "Earth is a popularly traveled route, so I know you do not need my navigation skills." 

Thanos huffs, slightly amused. 

"One would think you'd be happy to see your old planet once again." 

The figure closes his eyes and exhales slowly, his red skull glowing blue in the light of the ship. 

"The planet I once knew is gone, of that I'm sure. Earth no longer means much to me. I've already achieved a higher plane of existence." He says with resolution. The Mad Titan grins, an evil and diabolical thing, his fist wrapping around Loki's pale, slim neck. He squeezes experimentally, eyes observant as the shell gasps out weakly, lips quivering, his little pink tongue licking desperately at nothing. He doesn't protest.

Not _once._

"Then that means you won't have any problem helping me _destroy_ it." 

Red Skull doesn't say anything for a while, a thoughtful look on his face. Destroying the world was never his plan, at least not directly. He merely wished to subjugate the masses under his philosophy... the HYDRA agenda. Killing humans were just collateral... killing dirty-bloods was the mission. Nazi domination, was the mission. 

"With pleasure." Skull finally answers, peacefully. 

Thanos smiles, almost sweetly, petting Loki who still hasn't moved, dark finger shaped bruises on his throat. 

"Maw." He calls, the room lighting up as the alien appears out of nowhere. He's covered from the neck up in blood and guts. 

"Almighty Thanos." 

"Is your little team ready?" Thanos demands. 

Maw chuckles, licking one of his bloodstained fingers. "Indeed they are. I assume you're going to call the Chitauri?" 

"They've already been summoned. So has the beast, Armageddon and an adversary that's been improved by the power stone." 

"Adversary? ...who?" Maw questions curiously.

"They call him, _Ultron."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blep, I love all the support, u guys are awesome... more smut to come... my Tumblr is @hainethehero


	10. The Dark Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War has just begun! And it's one of infinite proportions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sincerely sorry for taking so long, I've been busy with applying for postgrad stuffs n stuffs.

The Dark Side 

 

_"Now the past I've tried forgetting,_

_And my foes I could forgive._

_Trouble is, I knows it's petty,_

_...But I hate to let them live..."_

The ominous sounds of Ultron's ghastly song filters in the dark cockpit of the ship, his bionic eyes gazing robotically at the solitary group of planets before them. His mechanical body is whole once again, shiny and well-oiled like a brand new car. He doesn't appear to be an exo-skeleton anymore but instead has been filled out with black and silver tungsten and chromium reinforcement plates with a nuclear reactor that's _directly_ powered by the _power stone._ It's the reason why his eyes no longer glow daredevil red, but instead, glow purple and unblinking. 

"How long until we break through the atmospheric energy barrier?" Maw questions, a pale and undead hand on the back of Ultron's leathered chair. 

_"-a symphony of death, oh my..."_

There's a grunt of disapproval from Maw as the robot continues his chilling, mournful song without sparing the alien a single glance. His metal jaw is shut in a grim smile that borders on insane. His low, moaning hums accompanying his _Disney_ melody are just as unnerving. 

"Doesn't say much, that one." Maw informs his boss, disgruntled. Thanos merely blinks in response, sitting to the far right of Ultron. They're both comandeering the ship with a silent reverence that seems unnervingly paradoxical to the warpath they'd been on since Titan was destroyed. Both Maw and Loki stand behind them in the hull, the Asgardian Prince standing stoically, ever the brainwashed shell of an existence. His eyes glow blue under the influence of the space stone, expression blank and lifeless. 

"Fear not, Torturer. We are about to breach the Earth's atmosphere. Once in range, Ultron will reveal the true coordinates of the wizard and the humanoid they call, the _Vision."_ Thanos rumbles with a quiet smile. He flexes his fingers confined by the metal of the golden gauntlet on his left hand. The glowing stones cast glittery shadows across his purple skin, making him look like the galaxy itself. 

It's a sight to behold. 

The ship gives a tremulous jolt as they enter the atmosphere, the external skin of the ship fizzling and hissing sharply as it breaks through the kinetic barrier. The fresh smell of ozone cuts through the stagnant air with a howl, blasting into the ship's cockpit like some great invisible beast. Maw raises a forearm to block his eyes from the onslaught of air while Loki remains still like a statue, the ragged strands of his mutilated hair going wild with the wind. His pale lips are drawn up in a grim clench. 

There's a digital beeping sound as the radar blares to life, blinking a bright green as the geo-locator homes in on Ultron's coordinates. The arrows bounce around for a while before settling over a piece of land. 

It's then that Ultron continues singing.

_"Payback time is nearing!_

_And then our flag will fly,_

_Against a blood-red sky;_

_That's my lullaby."_

The location that comes up on the screen is Manhattan, New York City. 

 

...............................

 

[Weeks Ago]

 _42nd Street And Madison Avenue- The Baxter Building._

The scientist grumbles quietly to himself after chugging another cup of hot coffee, rubbing tiredly at his sore eyes. He's been sitting at his desk in his cold office for _hours_ with his eyes trained on his satellite monitors. There had been an extraterrestrial sighting earlier by one of his on-staff astrologists but the signal had soon become lost in the expanse of outer space. So, being the dedicated doctor that he was, he decided to plant himself behind his holographic screens until he saw the signal again. 

Sue would obviously _kill_ him when she got home but, he figured he could deal with the fallout once he told her what he'd found. 

"I'm serious dude, that chick was totally into me." 

Richards rolls his eyes and sighs heavily as the annoying and petulant voice echoes just outside his offices' glass doors. He swivels back in his chair to find Johnny and Ben waving guiltily at him. 

"Hey Doc!" Ben greets while Johnny snorts haughtily, his arms folded. 

"Open the door, Richards! Gotta fill you in on that charity event _you_ made us go to." 

Dr Reed Richards hums quietly to himself, closing his eyes thinking- _'if I just close my eyes and pretend he's not there, he'll disappear.'_ When he opens his eyes again, Johnny is still grinning stupidly back at him, waving while Ben shakes his head in the background. Reed does the same before unlocking the doors, letting his dumb excuse of a brother-in-law into his extremely orderly office. He winces with every step Johnny takes because... the guy is the exact opposite of "orderly." 

"What you been up to Doc? Wait- never mind I don't care. Guess who got seven napkins worth of phone calls that are attached to lonely, hot girls who are just _dying_ to find the right guy?" 

Ben rolls his eyes. "They weren't lonely." 

"Hell yeah they were! Besides, what else do you expect when Fantastic Pants over here only books us for the elderly charity events?"

Johnny shushes him with an erratic flick of his wrist. The doctor runs a shaky hand through his slick hair, ruffling some of the grey and black strands out of place. He's a huge advocate of peace and being one with the mind and soul but goddammit sometimes Storm really pushes it. 

"The _Shady Acres_ retirement home has an important function in New York City and has always been a source of comfort for both the old and the young, Storm. Their building needs refurbishing and we are obligated to assist. Not only that, but it's in our human- ...inhuman, decency, that we do as much for the community as possible. That's our job, as the Fantas-" 

"Uhh, Doc?" Ben interrupts, hooded eyes frowning at the monitors behind Richards. 

"Ben?" 

"Your satellite's going nuts." The Thing points out, all of them turning their attentions to the holographic screen blinking red. Reed frowns hard, his dark eyes widening with every second the radar shows another incoming bogey. It seems like a swarm of unidentified ships entering the atmosphere. Suddenly, there's a loud explosion sounding off in the distance, a mushroom of smoke erupting behind the line of skyscrapers. The ground shakes with the impact. 

"What the hell?" Johnny whispers mostly to himself. 

Reed hurries to his feet, glaring down at his screens to assess the situation. What his monitors reveal is something they haven't come across in their entire time as superheroes. 

"What the hell is that?" Ben growls at the four-legged insect alien hybrids currently touching down on Manhattan, ripping apart anything and anyone in their path. 

"They look like a hybrid alien species." Dr Richards surmises, tapping away at his keyboards. 

"This is not the time to be checking logistics Reed- we're under attack! We need t-" Johnny starts but is immediately cut off by some kind of telekinetic force that blasts through the glass window, crashing hard into him and Ben. 

"Johnny! Ben! Guys-!" Reed grunts, yanking a shard of glass out of his arm. His coat instantly starts to stain with blood. Johnny immediately struggles to his feet, eyes hard, a trickle of blood dripping down his lip.

"Flame on!" 

"Ben?" 

"Wait!" Ben yells, rolling over onto his back to reveal Sue. Her white blonde hair is a mess and there's a bloody gash across her torso. She winces up at them, pieces of glass in her hair. Her eyes are wide with fear and shock. 

"Sue?!" Reed gasps, rushing to her side. "What the hell is going on out there?" 

"I- ...I don't know what they are. Th- they just attacked... out of the blue... I-" She's cut off by a painful groan, Reed helping her up. 

"Are you al-" 

"Of course I am. It's just a scratch." She assures him, eyes meeting her brother's. Johnny's jaw clenches hard, his entire being engulfed in bright, glowing flames. She grasps Reed's shoulder firmly. 

"Stark's out there. But he can't fight them by himself. He'll need help." 

Richards nods curtly, stripping off his lab coat to reveal his dark blue stealth suit, the silver 4 proud on his chest.

"Okay-" 

They're seconds away from destruction however, and before he can establish a quick gameplan, the entire floor caves in on itself, burying the four under a pile of steel and stone. The resounding thunderous roars of the Outriders just outside the building is accompanied by a distant beeping. More glass breaks, and more buildings fall. 

The receiver lying solitary six floors down blinks with a red light, a single name on its broken screen; 

_Incoming Call: Nick Fury._

 

....................

[Present Time]

"That can't be good." 

"Pointing out the obvious, Stark." Fury replies, loading his rifle. The sound of aliens entering the atmosphere in droves echoes eerily around the abandoned city, shrouding it in a bleak darkness that seems ominous and haunting. The colouring is similar to that of the air in Svartalfheim, and Thor says as much although no one understands that reference. Doesn't matter though- ...the war has finally arrived. 

"This is it." Steve grunts, eyes shadowed as he stares down at the circular vibranium shield in his hand. The claw marks of T'Challa's are long gone, buffed and shined and repainted in its old Captain America design. Tony had handed it over to him with a firm nod, and it felt like reuniting with an old friend. Nat had offered him a sharp nod before turning to pat Bruce on the shoulder. He looked nervous, but not scared. Just...

"You look like you've seen some things." She jokes, but it's quiet and carries with it the daunting uncertainty of their future. He shrugs before nodding his head slowly. 

"It's pretty bad out there. Can only get worse from here, right?" 

Off to the side by himself, is Blaze, cracking his chain like a whip until it becomes engulfed in raging flames. His skin burns away, revealing a skull beneath the glowing fire, the vacant holes of his eye sockets burning a blackish red. Everyone pauses just for a second to regard him curiously and he turns his back on them, whistling. 

"Don't look into my eyes too long." His voice is barely a whisper as the revving of an engine bursts through the doors, revealing his revered demon bike, all hot metal and hellfire. He mounts it before riding out into the fray. 

Sam follows close by, his Falcon wings shadowing over Ghost Rider's, creating a demon with wings aesthetic of their shadows. 

Tony's voice echoes over all of them.

"Avengers assemble!" 

It's a battle-cry if Steve's ever heard one and they immediately assimilate, following the demon rider and Falcon out into the fray. Before takin flight, Tony turns to Strange.

"I still think you'll be safe with Wanda and Vision. Deadpool's a goof but he's the best reinforcement we have." 

Strange appears cocky for just a moment before the facade goes away and he shakes his head. 

"I know you're just trying to keep us safe Tony. But I couldn't stay back here while the rest of you risk your lives. Besides, I wouldn't want to be a burden on Wanda, she's already got her plate full looking after Vision." 

Tony huffs but nods anyway.

"Lose that stone and I'll have to kill you myself." He jokes weakly, earning a genuine smile from Stephen. The sorcerer supreme lets out an equally weak chuckle before nodding. 

"I'll hold you to that, Stark." 

Thor's roar drowns out any sound after that, his eye glowing as electric blue lightning surrounds him. 

_"Bring me Thanos!"_

Beside him, Rocket and Groot howl in agreement, machine gun rattling out shots at the oncoming group of Outriders. Groot extends his roots deep into the aliens, piercing them through and through before picking them up and slamming them down onto the ground several times. His horrifying yowls shake the earth beneath their feet. 

"God I love that tree." Tony quips before joining War Machine in the sky. They double laser beam more than a dozen aliens, but aren't fooled by how easy the task seems. They know the real war hasn't started yet. Thanos has yet to arrive. 

On the ground, Steve and Bucky battle through hordes of the four-legged beasts. Bucky's pale blue eyes glare at the Outrider his vibranium arm is buried in, his mouth pulled into a severe pout. Steve yells, throwing his shield hard at the three aliens boxing him in. It cuts into them, Cap punching his way past, collecting back his shield on the way. 

"This feels like Germany all over again!" Bucky grins, his smile reminiscent of the James Barnes of old. The confident, cute Bucky who'd convinced him to go on a double date to Stark's expo. Steve returns the brilliant smile and winks at him. 

"You said it soldier!" 

Just a few feet away from them, Natasha uses the Hulk as a launching pad to propel herself through a spiny group of Outriders, her guns taking them out like glass bottles. Hulk observes her with adoration before ripping through his own set of minions. 

"Pretty girl!" He bellows, causing Nat to pause, mid-kill. 

"Hold on, you talk now?" 

Hulk grins at her, slamming his mighty green fists into two aliens. 

"Hulk and Banner friends now!" 

A wave of lightning strikes across the battlefield, taking out hundreds of Outriders. 

"By Loki's Sceptre you shall feel the wrath of the mighty Thor!" 

The Asgardian King growls savagely, striking every alien in his path, Heimdall at his back, the Bifrost sword in his hands. His eyes are alight with the golden magic of the Allsight, his face an expression of hardened determination. He growls, slicing the aliens in half before gasping out loud as his vision zings. 

"Thor, he's here!" The gatekeeper warns, turning his eyes to the skies just as a pod crashes onto the pile of dead alien bodies in the streets of New York. Tony nods at Thor and Falcon, intensifying his thrusters in the direction of Thanos. 

"That's our cue." 

Thor starts advancing on the Titan without so much as a blink. He's been waiting for the warmonger ever since the attack. 

But he isn't the only one.

"He's mine." Star Lord snarls, following Thor's path, his mask on, guns out. 

"Does he seriously have headphones on right now?" Spiderman squeaks as he webs four Outriders together, smashing them into each other. 

"He needs his music to help him focus." Mantis offers in a sweet voice while she incinerates several aliens with the simple touch of her fingers. To everyone else, Quill just appears to be charging towards Thanos, guns blazing, a dirty scowl on his face. But the Guardian literally marches to the beat of his own drum, the shrill cries of Zeppelin's _Immigrant Song_ blasting from the speakers. 

_"We come from the land of the ice and snow,_

_From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow..."_

The pod cracks open, Maw crawling out of it first like some kind of grotesque crustacean without a shell. Strange growls, his dark blue eyes narrowing at the Torturer. Next to him, a robot steps out, it's purple eyes zeroing on them. 

"What the hell is that?" Spiderman whispers, his hazel eyes wide with curiosity. 

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, my armour _does_ look exceptionally different. But let me, refresh your memories." Ultron leers creepily, aiming one of his blasters directly at Tony. Iron Man blocks the beam with his built in nanite shield, eyes widened in shock as his ears process the familiar sounding voice. 

"Ultron." Steve grounds out, fists clenching and unclenching. 

_"He is not alone, Captain."_

This time, it's Bucky who gasps out loud, his vibranium arm tightening around his rifle. 

_The Red Skull._

"It's... not poss-" He starts but Schmidt cuts him off with a slight wave of his gloved wrist.

"Oh believe your eyes Sergeant Barnes. I am very real. Just like you and your star-spangled cohort, I have outlived my own lifetime." 

It's a few strong minutes before Steve realizes he's growling, his body in front of Bucky's protectively. Natasha glares at the Nazi, her fingers clenched hard around a standard KGB bayonet. 

"Does anyone else want to come back from the dead then?" Tony quips half-amused with himself but he immediately falters when the sound of heavy footsteps puts everyone on notice. The Titan has now entered the battlefield. For a moment, the world stands still, almost as if everyone is struggling to take in the scene before them. 

_This was it._

This was the battle- the war, Tony had been warning them about since the Chitauri attack. This is what kept him up at night, replacing the garish nightmares of Howard Stark from his mind with realistic threats of a bloody conflict between man, machine and God. They stand on the chessboard, the Avengers, Guardians and strayed heroes to one side, Thanos and his dark entourage on the other. It's a daunting sight that frazzles Tony's nerves for a few seconds. 

A circuit overload if he's ever had one. 

Thanos raises his fist, the golden gauntlet gleaming on his wrist as he flexes his fingers with a menacing smile. They all tense up, guns, swords, magic, blasters at the ready. The Ghost Rider cracks his flaming whip, a sickening sound against the hard streets of New York. Groot yowls, an earsplitting shriek. 

"C'mon you son of a bitch." Quill hisses under his breath, mask off, his guns cocked and ready to blow at any given second. 

T'Challa unsheathes his claws, dark hazel eyes hard at the man responsible for tearing up his Kingdom. 

Thor's eye sparks, his clenched fists fizzling with electric energy. His chest heaves with the mighty effort it takes to great through his anger. His pain. The murderous vibrating in his brain as he stares down the man responsible for killing his brother. 

"This war," Thanos murmurs with a quiet irreverence. "Is to be my victory." 

"You will have nothing but blood and dust!" T'Challa rumbles, his panther mask cross hatching it's way over his face as the collective heroes begin their march towards the Titan. 

"And I shall have your head!" Thor bellows, thunder cracking across the sky above them as their brisk steps turn into a full on charge. Groot's banshee-like yowls play on as their battle-cry. Drax joins in, knives out, his eyes focused on Thanos and Thanos alone. Their own fight was long overdue if anything. 

The first Outrider under Maw's command takes the first step towards the oncoming heroes but freezes at the casual flick of Thanos's wrist. The heroes halt as another pair of shiny black boots enter the playing field. 

Tony feels his heart drop, eyes instantly looking to Thor who goes stock still. 

_It's Loki._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy, minhoy xD lol


	11. Don't Think You Will Forgive You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They don't just call him the Mad Titan for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amount of "evil cliffy" comments I got xD love you guys and I'm sorry

Don't Think You Will Forgive You 

 

Hela regards her youngest brother and the Zen-Whoberian woman warrior.

They sit awkwardly opposite her, legs crossed, eyes wandering all over the entirety of Helheim. Her throne unfortunately hasn't been abandoned long enough since Ragnarok so she sits atop it with a dented ego, her chin held high. On the throne next to her, Surtur slumps idly like a spoiled child, playing with his sword. She's bound to him physically and through the Asgardian prophecy- thanks to Loki and his idiot of a brother that she's even back in the fiery depths of Helheim. On the other side of her, the _Fenris Wolf_ lies lazily on its belly, tongue lolling out like a common dog, a peaceful glow in its dark eyes. Gamora keeps a sharp eye on the beast while Loki narrows his gaze on Hela. 

"Brave of you to stand before me, _brother."_

His pale lips give a slight little upturn at her accusing tone but he doesn't take the bait. Playing it cool and diplomatic with Hela always seems to work best. 

"In all honesty sister, I sought out Surtur for help but he insisted that there was _nothing_ he could do." 

"And what is it that ails you, my dearest Loki?" She questions, her tone naturally caustic but not mocking. It throws him off a bit if anything. He lowers his gaze, eyes blinking sadly at the silken green robes clenched in his hands. They seem paler than usual, he notes with passing interest. 

"Thanos..." He chokes, his body taken by a sudden draft of coldness. Gamora seems unaffected. Hela on the other hand, narrows her eyes in interest. 

"The Mad Titan." She says quietly, turning to pet Fenris distractedly. "I remember him... once tried to court me, that one. Odin put an end to that. _He_ is what troubles you?" 

"He's gotten his hands on four of the infinity stones. If he gets them all, the Universe will cease to exist as we know it. That's not just a fancy phrase to be dramatic, that's a _fact."_ Gamora interjects, the urgency in her voice well placed. Hela takes the news with a huge grain of salt, her lips pursing amusedly. 

"I believe you, murderess. Your adoptive father certainly has a twisted idea of _peace._ It's your being in here that gifted him the Soul stone, am I right?" 

Gamora glares at Hela from beneath her thick lashes before nodding quietly. It's never been an easy feat, admitting her feelings and all that emotional mess. She's always been a killing machine for as long as she could remember. It's how Thanos raised her. But to hear someone finally come out and _say it_ ...well, it left a bitter, bitter taste in her mouth. 

"Shh, dear one." Hela soothes, suddenly right in front of them, her fingers trailing delicately through Gamora's long wavy hair. The Zen-Whoberian leans unintentionally into the touch, frowning in confusion at the tears that suddenly course down her face. The Goddess of Death grants her a peacefulness she hasn't experienced in _years_ and it's suddenly as if she's back on her home planet with her mother. 

When Hela speaks again, her voice is uncharacteristically serene and almost kind.

"Just like my brother is the God of Thunder, I am the Goddess of Death. Funny thing, that. Death was never meant to be something one feared. And neither was the Goddess that wielded it. For as long as I can remember, Odin used my power to gain the world only to lose it all in the end. I'm sure he learned his lesson. And now I have learned mine." 

She holds Gamora's face in her hands, brining her teary gaze up before planting a gentle kiss on the Zen-Whoberian's forehead. She smiles down at her, index to get tracing velvet green lips. 

"I won't kiss you here- it is not your time yet. But I shall grant you peace." 

Gamora slams her eyes closed as Hela drifts away towards Loki who was regarding their interaction with keen interest. His eyes remain guarded however, the emerald dimming a bit. His long black lashes are heavy and thick on his prominent cheekbones as Hela stops in front of him. 

"You should be angry. About Ragnarok, about Asgard... about the throne. I'm not one to swallow my pride, Hela you know this. But Thanos _cannot_ win." He murmurs quietly, soft black curls falling into his eyes. She hums to herself, carding gentle fingers through his hair. 

"Don't worry brother. My quarrel is not with you. It will do me no good to make you beg. The Mad Titan has been a thorn in the galaxy's side for eons-" 

She pauses when her fingertips brush across a darkening bruise on his neck. Her poison green eyes flashes dangerously at him for a second before retaining their soft glow. Her gaze isn't warm anymore though. A shiver wracks through his body as he blinks up to meet her cold, frigid glare. His defenses rise in an instant. There was no doubt she'd seen the extent of Thanos's abuse on his body. He should be used to the scorn and rejection. Heimdall might've been accepting of it but Hela- 

"If not for me do it for the galaxy- ..." He starts to plead, rising to his feet and backing away in abject shame but prepared for a fight. Gamora surprises him as she rises to his defense, placing her body between him and Hela, dagger draw at the ready. But the Goddess of Death only regards them as if they were two wounded pups. She blinks softly at Gamora in some kind of silent communication before the assassin trusts her enough to take one step to the left. Loki swallows resolutely, his brows pulled in a deep frown.

The shame batters at him. 

But Hela places two fingers beneath his chin, raising his watery gaze up to meet hers. 

"He's defiled you." She simply states, the dryness in her voice scathing. Behind him, Gamora gasps softly. 

"Well, I'm guessing the black and green riled him up a bit. You did say he used to court you." Loki tries to joke to cover up his shame but it falls flat. Even Surtur stills in the background, his fiery eyes narrowed, interested. A low growl escapes Fenris and seems to almost reverberate from the beast straight to Hela who bares her sharp teeth savagely. 

"You know, I remember the day Odin brought you home from Jotunheim. Of course I was nothing but a cast out, bound to spend the rest of my days in Helheim. But he visited me often. I never saw you but he described you as a blue baby icicle."

Loki huffs softly at that, shaking his head as Hela cradles it to her chest. He doesn't realise the cold tears that run down his cheeks and soak in her clothes. 

"He said you were a precious thing, and that you reminded him of me. And that Thor loved you dearly. Maybe it was anger or hurt that turned me into what I am today, but- ...I'd kill anyone who tried to hurt you. You or your brother... I... I know that now." 

Loki freezes and blinks up at her, wiping angrily at his tears. He shakes his head.

"I'm not some Princess that needs protecting." He scathes, but his voice lacks its usual aggression and instead shakes with emotion. 

Hela shakes her head sagely. "No. But you've been hurt and wronged." She looks at Gamora, beckoning her closer to share in the embrace. 

"Both of you have." 

Surtur arises from his throne, inflamed sword clutched tightly in his fist. 

"Earth it is then?" 

Fenris rises to its feet with a great roar as Hela approaches, helmet adorning her head like a majestic black crown of thorns. When she speaks, her voice is that of a murderous whisper. 

_"Vengeance will be ours."_

 

...............

_"Thor!"_

Someone's calling his name. He's sure of it. 

_"...ddaammit! Wake up! Thor-!"_

If he'll wake up from this nightmare he's currently living is the sixty-four dollar question. 

It feels as if he's in a theatre, sitting in a sea of bodies, immobile and useless as he's forced to watch himself on the big screen. Forced to do nothing but watch himself fail and fall. He can see himself standing there on the field- the bent and broken streets of New York... unmoving. His hands clutch weakly at the sword but it continues to hang listlessly at his side. His one eye is glistening against the sun's rays and his mouth is slightly agape. 

_"Thor wake up goddammit-!"_

On the other side of the field, Loki stands tall, on the front lines, an ugly sneer plaguing his pretty face. His eyes glow a bright blue. 

_Tesseract blue._

His armour is all black and ripped leather, his cape draping like a dark silhouette around him. His skin seems paler than usual, and even from this distance, Thor can see that he's shaking. For some reason, something in his chest _gives_ a little when he notices the hair. 

_Oh, sweet brother of mine..._

It's short, bedraggled and lying greasy and unkempt over his eyes like dead fronds. It's almost as if someone had angrily taken a blade to it and had haphazardly sliced and diced until all of his brother's lovely, soft curls were gone. And though Loki stands defiant opposite him, angry veins bulging in his neck, lips pulled back in an animalistic snarl, he couldn'tve looked more... _empty._

_Dead._

_Alon-_

Something hard crashes into him from the side, knocking him on his ass, his sword clattering a few feet out of his reach. The world swims in front of his eyes for a few crazy seconds before he realises he's sprawled out on the floor, a pair of black boots hastening towards him. Loki lets out a guttural screech, bringing down his own sword over Thor's head. The Asgardian King has only seconds to register the fact that he's about to be beheaded by his own kin before Tony blocks it, the sound of metal on the Iron Man suit clanging in his ear. 

"Get a grip Pointbreak! It isn't him!" Stark grunts, voice choked up under the heavy strain of Loki's sword. The Asgardian Prince snarls like a cat, jabbing again at Tony, his strikes precise and damaging. He takes another hit to the head and falls to the ground. 

"Thanos is controlling hi-" He struggles to explain to the dumbstruck God but fails as Loki attacks again. Thus far he's only been blocking and defending himself against Loki's attacks. He hasn't yet went on the offensive and it's shamefully telling. One look and Thanos would know that it would _kill_ either of them to hurt the young Jötun. 

But he's about to slice Thor in half-

"No!" Tony yells, blasting Loki a few meters away with a beam from his palm. The Prince lies there on the asphalt gasping for air, his sword on the ground. Tony wastes no time in kicking it away. He winces, noticing the singed leather right in the centre of Loki's chest from his beam, burnt skin showing through the torn material. Thor finally shows signs of awareness when he struggles to his feet, rushing to Loki's side immediately. 

"Brother!" He shouts but the dazed Loki only blinks blankly at him, teeth grinding against each other as Tony tries to hold him down. 

"I am not your brother!" Loki sneers as he struggles against Tony's grip. When Thor glances up, he sees Thanos, Ultron and Red Skull standing calmly like war Generals with hands behind their backs as Maw brings up a protective forcefield around them. They're safe and secured behind it while the heroes battle it out against the Outriders. It's only then that it clicks for Tony- ever the problem solver. 

_Loki was Thanos's first line of defense._

An ugly, seething disenchantment washes over him and he finds himself losing his grip- on reality as well as on Loki who is quickly overpowering Thor. The is planned to use Loki against them all along. He killed him and had forced the power of the Tesseract into the shell that had remained. 

"Mr Stark- look out!" 

Peter comes out of nowhere and manages to web two of the aliens that were advancing on both Tony and Thor. 

"Kid!" He yells as a third Outrider snarls before raking its hefty claws across Spiderman's chest. 

"Ahh! I'm okay-!" 

Before Tony can get to him, Strange swoops in with his cloak and dissolves the conflict. The Outrider dies before it even gets the chance to lay another finger on the kid. Falcon takes care of the other two, his wings casting animated shadows over them. Loki uses the chance of distraction to writhe himself free, throwing three small daggers at Strange in the air. The weapons miss the sorcerer by a mere inch as he curls his magical fingers to create a portal to another dimension, effectively ridding himself of the threat. 

Loki growls but lifts his sword in a challenge anyway. His blue eyes track Strange's every move. On the floor, both Thor and Tony scramble to their feet, shaking their heads as if they'd been under some kind of hypnosis. 

"Loki! I know you're in there!" Thor pleads, summoning down a barrage of lightning bolts that electrocutes Loki's shell. The Prince screams in agony, trapped within the fiery blue sparks, surrendering his sword once again. Strange immediately gets rid off it.

"Stop! You're gonna kill him!" Tony hears himself beg but it sounds weird and uncharacteristic to his own ears. Thor glares up at him and shakes his head, shocking his brother again with what seems to be all the pain and hurt and regret he's been bottling up inside of him for so long. Loki screams out again, writhing on the floor like a snake, his back arched and his eyes, pleading.

Tony's suit blasters are doing _nothing_ to stop the Thunder God from electrifying his brother to a burnt crisp so he desperately looks to Strange who nods sympathetically. The sorcerer supreme intertwines his hands and goes into some kind of mystical mantra, eyes focused solely on Loki. His powers could only do so much to stop a _God_ so he figures his best bet is to protect Loki from the lightning bolts raining down on his head. Tony takes Thor's moment of confusion at Strange and barrels into him, knocking him off his feet. 

"He might not be in there but it's still his body. We may be able to revive him!" He reasons, using all the force of his iron armor to hold back the Asgardian. 

"How do you know?! How do you know that this isn't one of Thanos's tricks?!" Thor demands, the hurt in his voice all too clear. Tony sympathizes with the man, he does. 

"I have a hunch. And I think it involves the soul stone." 

 

..............

On the other side of the battle, Korg has teamed up with Groot and Rocket, firing their guns and screaming helfire at their adversaries. 

"Die, disgusting slobs!" The Kronan yells, blasting a group of Outriders with his 'space-gun' as the Man of Iron dubbed it. 

"Oh yeah! Get some o' this ya ugly bastards!" Rocket cackles maniacally, a blessed cheery smile on his furry face. Groot keeps yelling his name as he decimates alien after alien with his long reaching roots, gutting them from the inside out. Bucky's close by when another bunch surrounds their unit so he grabs Rocket and spins them full circle, the raccoon and the soldier firing their guns whilst Rocket cries out in absolute glee. When Bucky returns him to his perch on Groot's shoulder, he turns to grin at the assassin.

"How much for the gun?" 

"Not for sale." The man answers promptly.

"How much for the arm?" Couldn't hurt to ask... right?

Bucky shoots him a rather unimpressed stare before proceeding to finish the job. 

"I am Groot." Groot says with a disappointed air. 

"What? Like you weren't thinkin it! Oh, I'll get that arm." 

Natasha's lost Bruce in the melee. 

She doesn't know how one could miss a huge hulking green beast in _any_ crowd but, well, first time for everything she guesses. But now she's outnumbered, eleven to one. The Outriders are easy to kill, don't get it twisted but- ...well, let's just say they're stronger as a collective. Her guns only do so much before she's on her back with the grotesque alien hovering over her, snarling into her face, it's snapping maw dripping with bloody drool. Her fingers dig into its neck but the skin is tough- almost reptilian. She's bloodying her own nails trying to hold the thing off- 

It suddenly screams in pain, veering off to the side of her, collapsing like a bag of rocks and deadweight. Her chest heaves as she jumps to her feet, frowning hard at the corpse writhing on the ground. Her bayonet issues the finishing blow, blue blood splashing up on her face as she severs its neck. 

There's an arrow sticking out of the middle of its forehead. 

"Well, that was gross." She jokes turning to grin at Hawkeye who already has three more arrows locked and loaded into his bow. "And you're late to the party." 

Clint returns her cheeky grin and shrugs nonchalantly, firing another bunch of aliens. 

"Y'know me, I like to be fashionably late." 

"Is that what you call it?" She chuckles slicing an Outrider's head clean off. 

"Yep. I mean, I'm away for what- like five minutes and you guys have already destroyed half the city?" 

"And Scotland and Wakanda and probably space as well." A voice interjects. Clint turns to see Steve in all his bearded glory. He scoffs amusedly but nods in acknowledgement.

"Cap."

"Clint." 

"Good to have you back Barton!" Falcon yells from overhead, taking out several aliens with his handguns. 

"Good to be back rookie," Clint jokes. "Now gimme a lift! Let's take out some suckers." 

Sam swoops down and picks him up, gliding low to give him a clear shot at multiple targets. 

Steve takes a moment to catch his breath. He peers across the field to see Tony and Thor still struggling with the afflicted Loki. He frowns hard at Thanos and his entourage who are still perfectly safe behind Maw's magic. He shakes his head, reaching for his radio. 

"Tony, these things are still coming! And they're gonna keep coming if we don't get that gauntlet." 

"H- yeah, I realise that Cap!" Tony grunts out a minute later, clearly distracted with Thor's antics. 

"We need to take out Maw. Be good if he was off the chessboard." Natasha adds as Hulk runs through an entire fleet of aliens like a live battering ram. 

"There has to be a way past that magical forcefield of his." Johnny Blaze interjects, revving his blazing motorcycle through the hordes, his torturous inflamed chain turning everything it touches to burning ash. 

"Leave it to me." Dr Strange orders, his tone grave as he approaches Thanos and his entourage. It's too close for comfort since what the Titan wants is resting comfortably on Stephen's chest. 

"Strange-" Tony starts but the sorcerer cuts him off. 

"By the crimson bands of Cyttorak!" He cries, glowing crimson tentacles reaching out of his palms and encircling Maw's little protective bubble of a forcefield. The band's squeeze tighter and tighter at the invisible energy until substantial cracks appear in several places. 

"It's- ...I can't hold this forever!" He yells, his voice strained from the effort. 

"It's enough." Thor replies darkly, summoning a mighty lightning blast at the cracking forcefield, shattering it into millions of pieces. Maw cries out, collapsing to the ground. 

Ultron stares up at them all before stepping forward.

"Well, this is awkward." He quips before firing his guns at them. The heat beams are far more damaging than anything Tony or Bruce had equipped him with. 

"Get the gauntlet!" Quill yells, setting a pace towards the Mad Titan, guns blazing at the purple alien. Red Skull charges straight for him but he quickly dodges the confrontation. Drax roars at the Skull, running straight at him, only to run straight _through_ him.

"He's a ghost!" Drax yells, as his bullets go through thin air, hitting nothing in particular. 

"Not another ghost." Korg sighs as Miek slices his way through a dozen Outriders. 

"Spooky scary skeleton..." Ultron murmurs to himself, aiming his guns at the Steve and Nebula. Steve's shield is just out of reach and Nebula's compromised by the Outrider trying to bite her freaking head off. The robot goes to fire but his arms are suddenly yanked away by a strong force. 

"Hey man, been wanting to tell you since the whole Sokovia incident, not cool!" Spidey reprimands whilst swinging from building to building, dragging Ultron like a beer can after a fun night at the frat house. The robot struggles against the webbing around him. 

"Hey uh- ..Mr Banner? I've got something for you!" Peter grunts, tossing Ultron right at Hulk. The green beast turns at the sound of Spidey's call, eyes fixing on the trapped Ultron, a hint of recognition in them. Sokovia was the catalyst that had forced the Hulk into exile. It had worsened the prejudice and fear of the Hulk from the masses. Made him leave until he landed on that glorious planet. An overwhelming roar rips from his throat as he grabs Ultron by the neck, fist clenching hard around the metal parts and wires. 

"Puny robot!" He yells, slamming Ultron into the asphalt before picking him up and then slamming him down again. Ultron's sonic beams merely singe the green flesh but not by much. Thanos observes the altercation from a distance before activating the purple power stone on the gauntlet. The blast from Ultron's beams explodes like that of a nuclear reaction, sending the Hulk a few miles over. The energy kick off from the blast spreads over the entire field, neutralizing everyone on the field. 

Even the Outriders. 

Ultron rises to his feet, shiny chromatic fingers clutching carefully at his throat. The Hulk managed to do _some_ damage it seemed. His audio transmitter was shot, so he could no longer talk but only let out shrill sounds of eerie feedback. 

"This madness has gone on long enough." Maw spits, just as Thanos ignites the blue space stone in his hand. Loki's body immediately rises up dagger in hand while the other is held out. 

"The stones." He demands, his voice almost like a quiet whisper but sounding nothing like Loki himself. No. It sounds like Thanos, speaking through Loki's lips, issuing them an ultimatum. Thor can feel his blood boil. 

"Never." He snarls taking a threatening step towards his brother's shell. 

Tony only had seconds to register- 

"No-!"

It's too late. 

The dagger in Loki's hand goes straight through his torso, his own bloody hands piercing his skin through and through. He gives them both a shallow and unnerving Cheshire smile, his eyes bright blue before the light dims, fading back into that familiar emerald of the real Loki. He blinks down in shock at the pain he suddenly feels blood pulsing out of the wound he'd been forced to create. 

_Confusion._

_"Th- ...uh..."_

His words fail him as he collapses to his knees hard, bloody dagger slipping from his fingers. The dark grey skies swim past his eyes at a dizzying pace, his mind going along for the ride. 

_Just a second ago he'd been with Hela and Gamora and now..._

...he doesn't remember the last thing he sees... before it all goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy... blep


	12. You Won't Ever Be Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Loki going to be okay? Thanos is growing stronger by the minute and with the power of the stones, he's near unstoppable. Who's gonna help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you Glen Coco!...

You Won't Ever Be Alone 

 

_Silence._

_It's not present._

_It's dark... but there's no silence..._

_...it's cold- ...but no silence._

One would expect death to come with a finality that is everlasting and, well... _final._ But no. Instead he hears the rush of a mighty wind flowing past his ears, rustling his long black hair. Can smell the salt and brine of the sea whipping under his nose; feels the refreshing spray of the sea on his pale skin. When he opens his eyes, the panoramic view of the turbulent ocean waverides past him. 

_There's a storm coming..._

"Come now son! This weather is much too ghastly to be about on deck!" 

He frowns in confusion, blinking several times to get the cotton sleepiness out of his eyes. There are just over ten strong, able-bodied men with swarthy, sunburnt skin drenched in the rain and the ocean spray all manning the lines at their stations. A pirate ship, if he's ever read about any; he's sure of it. 

A hand clutches his shoulder- he rounds on whoever dares to- ...

"Odin?" 

The name sounds foreign on his tongue; bitter and unfamiliar. He stares hard into the Allfather's one eye, noting with interest how... young the man looks. His wrinkles are all but gone and his hair, though still white, is long and wavy much like his own. He's dressed in proper sea garb, all wispy shirts, cotton trousers and leathered guards and belts. The only thing missing is the hat, he supposes.

"Below deck is a much safer place to be!" The man bellows, getting salt water in his mouth. He turns, his long coats flapping wetly behind him. Following him down into the master's chambers seems the best option. It's dark below deck, alight with only a few sparse candles- candles that hadn't managed to go out in the storm yet. Wax drips thickly down the sides of the ship, glowing white in the dark. They enter the master's quarters, a _much_ better accommodation than the briny, cold and wet deck of the ship. 

_"Loki?"_

He turns sharply at the sound of his name- specifically, the sound of his name from a familiar voice. 

"...Mother?" 

He misses the way Odin winces at the familial term of endearment when he'd only been recalled as nothing but 'Odin'. 

Frigga stands from her seat at the table, a myriad of maps and cartographic paraphernalia strewn across the wooden surface. Her hair shines like fine spun gold with just a hint of ginger while her blue eyes glow brightly at him. In them, he can see love and acceptance whilst in Odin's one eye, all he sees is regret. She's draped in fine silken cottons and leathers embossed with fine gold prints and pure golden jewelry; ever the Queen and fierce warrior he'd always believed her to be. But when she approaches him, the hand on his face is tender, akin to that of a mother's touch. Something in his chest gives and he collapses into her, head on her shoulder as his tears soak into her clothes. 

"Oh my sweet Loki." She coos gently, stroking his hair that now seems to be dry... all evidence of the storm above, gone. He frowns, looking up at her, then back at Odin who simply stands aside from them, observing. 

"Am I- ...is this Valhalla?" He can't help but ask it. Then the memories come flooding back into his head. 

Thanos. The War. Hela and Gamora... Thor... 

His torso twinges painfully for a second and when he glances down, he sees the dark blood staining his armor. 

_The Tesseract._

"T'is." Odin answers quietly, attentively seeing to a silver platter of cheese, apples, grapes and sweet baked bread. Frigga nods at Odin before smiling sweetly at Loki, pulling him towards the bed. 

"Come, sit." 

He does as told, not knowing much of his other options in such a scenario. Frigga strokes his face and he leans into the touch, like a sensory reaction, it comes naturally. Her delicate fingers card soothingly through his long- ...his hair is long and curly again. Soft. He frowns in honest confusion, shaking his head. 

"I don't understand. Mother am I... am I dead?" 

Frigga barely conceals a tear running down the side of her face. 

"You're still just as beautiful as I remembered you. Perhaps more so, if I may say so myself." 

Loki feels a soft blush rising to his cheeks. "Mother please..." 

"Oh son, allow your mother her indulgence. My little Loki." Frigga chuckles softly, taking his hands in hers.   
"How have you been?" 

Loki's brow twitches like a knee-jerk reaction to the absurd question. 

"Well, I think dead pretty much sums it up." 

Odin chuckles, bringing the platter over to them, sitting on Loki's right side. 

"Always so dramatic." 

Loki rolls his eyes. "Just being honest. I've squandered my life, it only makes sense that it would end at the hands of the Mad Titan. And of course, he made me do it myself with the power of the space stone." 

Odin sighs, shaking his head as Frigga strokes his back gently. 

"You made some bad decisions along the way, son. None of it was a fault of your own."

"If you thi-" Loki begins testily but Frigga gently clutches his wrist, blue eyes regarding him, pleading. He sighs and waits for Odin to continue. The man indulges himself in a green grape before proceeding. 

"I've never apologized... for being so cruel. And cold. Your birthright was _not_ to die." 

Loki flinches at that, swallowing the bile rising in his throat. It's the most he's ever heard the old man sound. 

"It never was. My pride and antagonism against the people of Jotunheim allowed me to judge your true form. Even when you were unaware of your Jötun blood... some part of me resented you and that... that is something that I will forever regret. It is something that I will spend the rest of my life regretting without recompense." 

A single tear makes its way down Odin's face, a sight almost unholy and desacralising to Loki because he'd grown up his entire life being forced to idolize the Allfather. His pretty green eyes glass over but he allows no tears to fall. On his left, Frigga reigns in her own emotions but keeps a steady hand on his. It's a time for repentance if any, he supposes. And for a minute, an ugly, vile feeling of anger swarms his body, knocking him around like the storm outside. He remembers all the times he was forced into the shadows while Thor enjoyed his place in the sun. He remembers being left behind during the winters while Thor got to go out and frolick with the warriors three- not that he would ever partake in activities of the senseless nature, he was much more sophisticated than that. And he remembers when Thor was made King, Odin berating him with a simple "no" and watching him fall from the Bifrost...

...fall from grace...

But then suddenly those feelings go away as Odin places a careful hand on his shoulder. He turns to glare at the man but stares in shock instead as Odin lowers his head in reverence. 

"You may not be the King of Asgard but you are a God all the same. I, Allfather, humbly ask your forgiveness, though I will not hold it against you should you choose not to. It would seem I was a great King but, a terrible father. I am sorry son." 

The feeling is one of indifference and overwhelming relief and for the first time in a long time, Loki can't choose between the two. He simply sits there, his shaking hands in Frigga's while Odin bows to him as if he was some kind of royalty. For so long he'd yearned to be treated as Thor's equal, to be treated with love and respect that he's completely new to the feeling of such worship. He blinks the annoying tear from his eye before shaking his head as Frigga begins to bow as well, pausing at his small voice. 

"Don't... please don't..." He murmurs quietly, imploring Odin to raise from such a servile position. The old man raises slowly, looking into his eyes as if he's seeing for the first time. 

"Loki please." Frigga whispers, stroking his hair. "Say something." 

Loki shakes his head, as if not knowing what to say or do next before he sighs heavily. 

"I've seen Asgard burn. I've seen it in ruins and I've seen our people suffer. All of that happened under my watch."

"No-" Odin begins but Loki shakes his head defiantly again. 

"Yes. If I hadn't cast you out- ..." He doesn't know how to finish the sentence, a sob making its way up his throat. 

"Your actions were the result of my mistakes Loki. If anyone is to be blamed for Ragnarok, it is I. I was a warmonger, trying to raise children in a Kingdom that wrecked more lives than it saved. You and your brother did not destroy Asgard, Loki. You saved it. You gave it a new beginning." 

This time, even Frigga appears to be shocked as she gazes at her husband. The Odin of old would have never admitted such a thing- his pride would not allow it. It seemed true then, that it was hard for a good man to be a King. Death and reconciliation with Frigga and the time spent in Valhalla had turned him into a new person. 

Loki frowns down at his hands in Frigga's, pale where she was full of life, scarred where hers was untouched by sin. To hear the words out of Odin's mouth was more than a revelation. And though he wanted to rebuke the man and cry to hell with his apology, he found that in his heart- the thing that had been frozen for eons- that he could not. He could not deny the Allfather- ... _his_ father's plea for forgiveness. He sighs heavily into his palms before shaking his head. 

"I wish it were as easy to forget as it is to forgive." He answers honestly. Reconciliation was mightily difficult when Loki recounted all the times he never measured up... or at least when he was made to feel that way. But he decided then that he would give the man a chance. There were much more pressing issues at hand anyway.

"Give me time... it is all I ask." He finally murmurs, looking up into Odin's blue eye with all the openness he could offer. It was the first time he felt like he could do so without ever feeling like a monster... or some unworthy soul. The colder, darker part of him clawed at him to hide his vulnerability in that moment but the good side- however small it was, won out and shut that voice down. He raised his head with a sense of purpose and worth, as if to communicate his regality in Odin's presence and felt immense satisfaction when the Allfather bowed his head. 

"Thank you, my son." Odin rumbled reverently, resting his hand atop Frigga's whose own hand was holding Loki's. It's the closest he's ever felt to his... his _father_ in a long time. 

Loki sighs, reaching for a grape when Frigga gently knocks his hand away. 

"This is the forbidden fruit of Valhalla my child." She explains, perhaps not meaning to sound so cryptic but Loki's brow raises in question.

"The gates of Valhalla have not opened to you yet, _my little blue baby icicle_." Odin adds, a smidge of teasing in his tone. Loki snaps his gaze to the man, trying desperately to conceal the embarrassing blush rising to his cheeks. 

_'Oh, ...you saw my little play did you?'_ He thinks wryly before shaking his head. 

"B- ...but Thanos-" He starts as Odin grunts in disapproval at the sound of the Mad Titan's name. 

"There is a weakness in possessing the gauntlet. I should know, I lost everything in my tireless search for it and the stones. It won't be enough to simply get rid of the gauntlet. You must destroy the stones, Loki." 

"B- but how? I thought they were indestructible?" 

"Everything burns my child, with the right flame." Frigga says quietly, almost as if she's hinting at something. He frowns.

"The Eternal Flame?" 

But Odin shakes his head, getting to his feet and walking slowly towards the cabin door. 

"The Eternal Flame brings life to whatever it touches. I know not of where the fire can be found, but I know that it is of the _Faltine_ nature." 

Loki plays around with the word in his mouth. _Faltine... why does that sound familiar?_

"Now you must go Loki." Frigga whispers in his ear, her arms around him telling him differently. He feels his heart beat much more vividly now. Like a panic. 

"How do I break his control? How do I escape him?" He pleads desperately, brilliant green eyes switching from Frigga to Odin. 

"Your Seidr lies within you still. You are the God of Tricks, are you not?" Odin tells him as he opens the door, a blinding golden light spilling into the chamber. 

It only seems to shine upon him. 

 

...................

There's a shrill, animalistic cry in the distance, accompanied by the thunderous crashing of broken buildings and stomped on roads. Tony does his best to pay attention to the tremors rattling the ground beneath their feet but it's hard to focus on anything when Loki's lying in his arms, dripping blood. His skin is paper white with a tinge of blue, his green eyes fading to a strange orange colour- red, almost. He's feather light in Tony's arms, fragile fingers clenching weakly around the human's wrists. He looks confused, and battered like a disoriented kitten. But nothing about this is cute. 

He's dying. 

Tony's iron mask weaves itself over his face in a matter of seconds as Ultron charges at him. The robot is sent flying back by a heavy bolt of electricity from his suit. 

_Think Stark!_

He fails. There's someone else with him- Bucky, he barely registers, pressing down on the wound, trying to stem the bleeding. Loki whines softly under the pressure, his eyes teary from the pain. Tony tries to be as soothing as possible, to try to take away some of the agony but nothing's working. 

And nothing _will_ work if they don't get Loki off the field and into his lab in the next few minutes. Thor is doing his best to hold off Maw's attacks but they're getting closer. 

"C'mon Reindeer, stay with me." He grunts curtly, ignoring the slightly curious glance from Bucky. He sees the ex-soldier's metal hand on Loki's body and a wave of pure discontent and overprotectiveness wash over him. But he fights to be rational about it and clenches his jaw shut instead. He tries to get Loki to look at him but the trickster's emerald eyes flicker in and out of consciousness. 

"Thought you were a God, huh?" 

The roaring is just outside the city now, the shaking of the Earth much more pronounced. The heroes all look around them, hyper-aware of how volatile the situation is. Hell, even Thanos looks unprepared as the guttural roar sends deafening soundwaves through the city, shattering the glass windows and doors of buildings all around them. The atmosphere becomes engulfed in a greenish tinge, the black ash falling from the sky making the world seem apocalyptic. 

"The hell is that?" Hawkeye growls under his breath, pale eyes lasered on to the middle distance from where the sounds are emanating. He draws his bow just as Black Widow reloads her guns, taking aim. Steve steadies his shields while T'Challa unsheathes his claws. Strange is above them all holding off Thanos's left arm in the mirror universe. It's a last ditch attempt at stopping the Titan from using any of the infinity stones. 

But not for long. 

"Is that-" 

"Bruce..." Natasha's soft, melancholic whisper of Banner's name is a wake up call if anything. It takes them seconds to realise the monster approaching the battlefield, flooring skyscrapers as he makes his mighty way to them. 

_It's the Hulk._

"What the fu-" Star Lord starts but is cut off by another angry cry from the green beast. 

It's almost like the Hulk had grown _ten times_ his regular size, enormous, bulky muscles thatching up and down his neck and arms, pure sinew. His eyes glow blood red as he glares down at them, heroes and villains alike, his mouth clenched hard in an ugly sneer. His skin isn't like the green of old, but instead glows neon green- almost as if he's radioactive. One step causes the ground to quake and the asphalt beneath his feet to crumble. He towers over the skyscrapers of Manhattan with at least a hundred feet to spare.

"How the hell did he get so big?" Ghost Rider questions with an air of wonder. It's the first time he actually looks impressed since arriving in Manhattan. 

"This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life." Bucky mutters quietly to Steve who nods and shrugs at the same time. He'd thought he'd seen enough ever since they defrosted him, but it turns out, things could get weirder in the 21st century.

The Guardians on the other hand look amazed and in awe. Drax, specifically. 

"The huge green beast has turned into an even greater, greener beast." 

"I love this planet." Rocket chuckles whilst reloading his gun.

"I am Groot." 

"Hulk Smash!" The beast screeches before stopping right at Loki's shivering body. Tony fires up his beam at him, a fierce look in his eyes. 

"Bruce- wait! Stop! Listen to me- I know you and Loki have had your differences but-..." 

"Stand down Banner!" Thor growls at the monster but the Hulk only ignores them, eyes stuck intently on Loki who gasps jerkily away from him. Tony's arms wrap tighter around the trickster, trying to hide him from Hulk. 

_"No..."_ Loki's whisper is a pathetic little thing as Hulk leans down slowly, his huge hands brushing both Tony and Thor away like mere scraps. They try to fight him but nothing works. It's almost as if his skin is made of steel. 

"NO SHOOT! HULK FRIEND!" The beast pleads causing them to freeze. The face that frowns sadly back at them is a familiar one, like it's more Banner than Hulk. Tony powers down his suit but keeps a cautious eye on Banner while Thor maintains his electric charge. His eye glows dangerously as the beast lifts Loki into his arms carefully, like he's handling a baby. Loki squirms uncomfortably in his huge green palm, hands covering over his bloody torso. 

"Uhh... settling the score I see Banner...?" He chokes, spitting out blood, the rusty tint staining his lips. There's an annoyed huff from Bruce before he tilts his head curiously at Loki. His other great palm comes up to poke gently at the tiny God in his palm, finger stroking gently at Loki's ruined hair. Loki's eyes widen in confusion, the greens reflecting nightly off of the Hulk's green aura. 

"Friend?" The beast rumbles shyly. 

"This is like a King Kong moment..." Spidey whispers in awe, earning a serious eye roll from Sam and Natasha. 

Loki manages a wistful smirk, panting like an injured pup. "Nghh... fine, friend." 

"Friend hurt." Hulk states sadly, like a pouty child. Loki blinks a few tears away- not from emotion or anything; he's just bleeding pretty badly and his head is going all woozy. He's sure he should be dead by now. 

"This wouldn't be the first time..." He can't help but quip dryly, thoughts flickering back to that time the Hulk had smashes his puny ass into Stark's floor like a ragdoll. Hulk doesn't take the bait though. He just huffs before resting Loki down gently back in Tony's arms, eyes flashing at Thor. It's a signal if anything before Thor gets the message. His fists spark blue with excitement and well placed anger. 

"Thor and Hulk go?" 

The King's grin is a scary grimace if Loki's ever seen one. He's certain his brother is about to charge into the gaping maw of death with the Hulk but his weak pleas do nothing to stop the powerful duo. 

"Tony, get my brother to safety. The Hulk and I will hold Thanos off for as long as we can." Thor orders, planting a soft kiss on Loki's forehead that earns him a tiny huff from the trickster. 

_"You won't be alone."_ A voice suddenly interrupts, dark, dreary and _dangerous._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mblergh... y'all think M'Blergh and M'Baku are related? Lol


	13. Hide My Head I Want To Drown My Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki doesn't get Tony... until he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Tony/Loki centric chapter.

Hide My Head I Want To Drown My Sorrow 

 

_'Insolent little being.'_

The space he's in is dark... like a void with no ceiling and glass for flooring. His reflection taunts up at him as he frowns down at it, noting his ruined hair with much displeasure. Though his skin is pale as ivory his face is littered with multiple bruises going all the way down to his neck and disappearing behind his black and green leathered collar. His hands shake against his thighs as he tries to reign in his confusion. 

There was an underlying urgency eating away at him like a bug under his skin- he couldn't shake it. 

_'It's been approximately two years since I've been visited by the likes of your kind.'_

There's that eerie voice again. Deep and heavy in volume with overlying voices much higher in pitch. It doesn't sound familiar at all but he assumes his name has been around the galaxy. Emerald eyes dart warily around the endless darkness cautiously. 

"Who are you?" 

His voice echoes loudly around him. 

_'I do not answer to you, insignificant little Jötun.'_

He rolls his eyes with as much attitude he can muster. There's a tugging- almost like a desperate longing or... a yearning that disrupts the fabric of his very soul and he can't help but answer to it. The deep voice dissolves into his subconscious and the longing calls to him even louder. In such a detached plane of existence he can _feel_ the warmth of the call. It makes him feel wanted... important... 

...he can't put a finger on it bu- 

"Hey buddy! How're we feelin, huh?" An overexcited and annoying voice questions with as much overexaggerated enthusiasm as Loki himself. 

His eyelids flutter slightly before cracking open gingerly, blinking a few times to adjust to the blinding light over him. One hand automatically comes up to shade his eyes from the abusive lighting while the other flails out to shove at the masked face in his personal space. 

"Get away from me you- ah!" 

That's him struggling to sit up ultimately disturbing the deep stab wound in his torso. The white gauze is stained red- _soaking_ in the damn thing as he falls onto his back with an uncomfortable thud. 

"Careful! You're not like me, you can't regenerate-" 

"Wade, get away from him!" Another voice hisses crossly, Deadpool shrinking guiltily whilst backing away with both his hands up to protest his innocence. Loki angles his head to see Tony rushing into the room, a panicked look on his face. He looks as though he'd been running a marathon, all exerted and glistening with sweat, his brown doe-eyes wide with worry and genuine concern. His suit is halfway on, just the iron helmet gone, leaving his face on display. There's a line of dried blood trickling down from his hairline, past his left eye and down his cheek. It disappears somewhere at his sharp jawline. 

"Reindeer, you alright?" 

It takes Loki a few seconds to realise Tony's right at his side and that they've both been studying each other intently without saying a word for at least two minutes. The idiot in the red and black suit just stands between them, looking from him to Tony, back and forth like an excited schoolgirl. 

"Where are my clothes, Stark?" He demands, a bit disgruntled at his lack of armor. Instead, he's lying on some kind of hospital bed in nothing but his leathered trousers and boots. His helmet sits obediently at his bedside on a silver table. His chest lies exposed to whoever is in the room, a small strip of bloodstained gauze doing poorly at covering his modesty. 

"Yeah, sorry about that, we needed to patch you up." Tony replies cheekily, poking at his bandages and earning an annoyed shove from Loki. 

"Stark, there's a war going on, I need my cl-" He freezes. 

_Curses!_

How could he forget about the war?

About Thanos? 

About _Thor_? 

He shoots up from the bed again, on his feet in seconds but soon falling to the floor before Tony catches him in strong arms. 

"Thor- ...where is he? I need to s-" 

"Woah woah, Loki- wait! You need to calm down-!" 

"You're ripping your stitches." Deadpool mutters, helping Tony ease the trickster back onto the bed. 

"Loki! Loki, listen to me! Your brother is fine!" Tony grunts, his voice strained under the effort of trying to subdue the Asgardian prince. Loki wriggles hard in his arms, a small whimper escaping his throat as he feels the human pull him closer. He doesn't want this though. Doesn't want the comfort or the niceties from the masked stranger. He just wants to end Thanos... just like Odin and Frigga told him to. He just wanted to be safe again. Wanted to break free of the power of the space stone... regain the strength of his Seidr. 

"I know, I know... it's okay. It's gonna be okay..." 

_Wait. Had he just said those things aloud to the Man of Iron?_

He quickly pulls away, rubbing furiously at his eyes. "No it's not." 

The stranger- Deadpool, quietly exits the room, leaving them in awkward silence. Loki sits hunched over himself as if in excruciating pain while Tony stands there by his side, looking around the room for answers and solutions that _just_ escape him. His hands are tentatively resting on the bed, all shiny red and gold. Just outside the room's walls, they can both hear the commotion of the war going on. There are loud explosions, screams and the melody of shattering glass. Loki flinches with every ghastly sound, his pale fingers intertwining with each other nervously. 

"Thor..." He mutters curtly, green eyes looking all about the room _but_ at Tony. 

"He's fine, Reindeer." Stark answers softly, looking down at his suit, picking at some imaginary dent. 

"He won't be for long." He shoots back with a conviction reminiscent of the Loki of old. Stark nods, mostly to himself before pacing the room, the metal of his suit clunking dully against the floor. 

"Uh-huh. And what d'you suppose we do about that?" 

He doesn't mean to sound so crass- he really doesn't, but he'd be lying if he said the way Loki flinched didn't physically hurt him. Doesn't regret it though. The Stark's have always had a knack for sticking with realism until it snuffed out any other hope for change in the room. It was quite a dry and finite way to live but, it always worked for him. 

"Help me get back out there." Loki finally demands, his tone threatening and dark. Tony doesn't buy it though, so he keeps pacing. It angers the trickster. 

"You need time to recover." 

"No I don't. My brother, I need to be out there with my brother." 

There's a pleading edge to his tone.

"And I said you need _rest_. Strange said your Seidr was weak and that your body would take time to heal. I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point." Tony's tone is sharp and condescending, his eyes glaring sternly down at the God. Loki glares back at him with just as much conviction. 

"Your words matter little to me mortal. I could easily overpower you and-" 

"And what? Kick my ass? Now _that_ I'd like to see." 

His tone is grotesquely cruel and he knows it- he fucking knows it but goddammit, Loki didn't know what was good for him at this point. Once again, Tony's need to... to control the environment and everyone around him reared it's ugly head and he let it. There was no way he was going to let Loki back on the field because one; Thor would kill him and two; he needed to protect the prince. Couldn't...

...couldn't lose him again. 

Loki launches off the bed at him but collapses into him again, nails digging harshly into his neck, his weak body malleable against the cold, hard metal. He feels a surge of impatience and frustration rush over him and he growls, shoving Loki back onto the bed roughly, causing him to whimper out in pain. 

_"Stay the fuck down, Loki!"_ He hisses, before immediately taking a few steps back, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. 

"I've always criticised you for your sentimentality. Guess I was wrong." Loki spits out through ragged breaths, his right hand pressed carefully over his stomach. 

"And I thought you were smart. Guess I was wrong too." Tony grumbles tiredly. 

"You're a cruel one, Stark. You'd let me stay, trapped in here while my brother risks his life out there. I bet you're truly proud of yourself, for such a noble act. By the Gods if I had my Seidr-"

"But you don't!" Tony snarls at him, shutting up the trickster effectively. He sees Loki's green eyes glass over and his chest twinges a bit. An uncomfortable silence grows between them, Loki sadly crawling under the baby blue blanket, turning his back to Stark who turns to glare out the window. He sheds a tear, maybe two before Tony turns back to him, only to notice the dismissive angle of his shoulders. He's never looked smaller, curled up in a ball under the blanket, with his face buried in his pillow. 

Another blast sends tremors through the lab making Loki startle slightly. Tony sighs and sits beside him... and tries damn hard not to evaporate under the cold detachment Loki sends his way. Keeping his hands to himself when the Prince was so vulnerable turned out to be harder than he'd imagined. 

"I- ...I'm sorry, Reindeer." 

_"Don't call me that."_ Loki growls so viciously that it has Tony seeing flashbacks of the Chitauri attack on New York. The old Loki had been a hissing, spitting little kitten back then. That Loki was showing in _all_ his full glory at the moment. 

Tony shrugs. "Still sorry." 

"Go to Hel." Loki snipes again and Tony has to chuckle at how proper the conviction sounds. It must be so weird to use profanities on Asgard, he thinks with passing interest. 

"Okay. Don't pass 'Go'... don't collect $200?" 

"I don't understand that reference." Loki grumbles, the confusion in his voice cute. 

_Almost._

Tony was in a tight spot here. 

"Look," He starts, trying to sound stern. "The last time Thor and I gave you free reign, you went on a suicide mission and kicked us to the curb. We're just trying to keep you safe-"

Loki rounds on him, wincing as he pulls at his stitches. 

"A suicide m-?! I saved your lives! I'm not some kind of damsel th-!" 

"- And you're hurt, so there's that." Tony carries on nonchalantly, flexing his metal fingers. 

"Stark, I'll kill you myself if I have to. I will." Loki threatens darkly with a resolution that would scare the crap out of Tony if he didn't _like_ the greasy bastard so much. 

"You can go ahead and try but I promise you, you're just gonna over-exert yourself." He warns softly, head in his iron-clad hands because he's fucking worn out and weary and this war has been on his mind for years so the battle itself feels as if it's been going on for years. He's torn between attempting to comfort the God and strangling him until he gets it through his head that he doesn't need to sacrifice himself to save them. That he doesn't owe them anything and that Thanos could not be stopped by him alone. 

God, why did he always find himself in this position? 

Always having to be the one to try and keep everyone alive... to keep everyone safe? 

_Because if anyone gets hurt or dies, that's on you._

He remembers Wanda's vision back in Sokovia, back when Ultron had been their greatest enemy. Every single Avenger was dead, covered in their own blood, lying like broken dolls on the floor. He could never quite shake the way Ca- ... _Steve_ had grabbed on to him and had whispered that haunting, _"You could have saved us..."_ with his dying breath. 

The daunting thought infiltrates his mind and suddenly it feels like he's suffocating under the sheer weight of the possible outcomes of this war. The air around him is thick and heated and it's foggy and he can't breathe. His fingers shakily reach to his chest to press the reactor there, receding the iron armor and leaving him in his dark blue tracksuit. His chest twinges with the all too familiar crushing pressure and he tries to remember to keep breathing. 

_The- ...there was a war..._

_The war... Thanos... Thanos was here._

_The Gauntlet... He had the stones, the- ..._

_The infinity st- ..._

A gentle hand on his shoulder literally drags him out of his reverie and he startles so abruptly that his shout causes Loki to shrink back, his brilliant green eyes wide with confusion and his pale hand still outstretched but not daring to move any closer. He immediately feels bad and shakes his head, roughly tearing himself off the bed and pacing the room up and down. 

"Tony..." 

Loki's voice is as soft as petals as he sits up again, with a sharp wince. Tony shakes his head in response, continuing to pace almost maniacally. 

_"Anthony."_ The God murmurs softly again and this time Tony freezes in place. He rounds on Loki and frowns hard at the genuine look in the trickster's green eyes. They stay buried in that steeping silence for a while, brown doe-eyes blinking hard at emerald ones, nothing but soft, shallow breaths and a heavy dose of reality between them. 

Then, another deafening explosion rocks the whole damn place, dissolving at kind of moment between them. Tony walks briskly to the silver table with another thick wad of gauze.

"Your bandages are soaked. Lemme replace them." He mutters mostly to himself but Loki knows it's directed as a question at him. He sighs in defeat and resigns himself to Stark's whims, scooting over to the edge of the bed, letting his legs swing whilst allowing Tony access to his injured torso. He lowers his head in shame at the barrage of nasty bruises Maw and Thanos had left on him. He's sure they'd all seen them- probably thought he deserved it. Tony however, doesn't say a damn thing, his dark brown eyes focused on unwrapping the bloodied bandages from around him. 

Stark's fingers are rough but incredibly warm on his cold skin, luring out tiny tremors and goosebumps all over. He'd forgotten how shirtless he was in front of the mortal and now he was hyper aware of his lack of modesty. A peach blush rises to his cheeks but he refuses to bring attention to it. Instead, he focuses on the soothing sound of Tony's heartbeat close to his ear as the man's touch becomes gentler on his body. 

"Sorry." Stark murmurs as he wipes at the weeping wound in Loki's stomach. The trickster may have been a God but with his Seidr weakened so drastically, the pain he felt was akin to that as experienced by a mortal. 

It was humiliating. 

At another whimper, Tony pulls his hands away but Loki is quick to grab them by the wrists, shaking his head meekly. 

"Don't..." 

Tony responds by taking Loki's hands in his own and placing the cool palms against his cheeks, his forehead on Loki's bare chest. 

"M'just trying to keep you safe. I need... need to keep everyone safe." He mutters softly and Loki can hear the sad pout in his voice. He sighs heavily and strokes his thumbs against Tony's cheekbones, resting his chin on the man's head. He can see and hear himself in Tony and it... scares him. 

"Okay. I'm safe. Look... look at me..." He pleads quietly but the desperation is clear in his voice. 

Tony's still hiding with his face buried in Loki's chest. 

"Tony... _hold me..._ please..." He begs again, this time more urgently, pushing himself against Tony, seeking out calm safety from his warm body. He takes the mortal's hands and puts it around his neck, nosing at Tony's neck like a kitten. He inhales deeply at the familiar scent... just like the t-shirt the man had given him back on Thanos's ship. 

It was weird for sure; exploring this newfound interest in Tony Stark. Loki had never been one to fall victim to the whims of romance or love or whatever. He'd always longed for understanding though; understanding and kindness and compassion. Things he'd never grown up with because of his treacherous past. Stark had shown him compassion back when he didn't deserve it- that t-shirt was more than a piece of clothing to cover his modesty. It was a peace offering of sorts and it was by far more than Loki deserved after nearly killing the man when he attacked New York. 

"This burden, protecting all of these people, it does not fall on you." He tells Tony firmly, their eyes finally locking as the man looks up at him. 

"B- ...but it does... if anything happens to-" 

"If anything happens to them, then it would have been none other than the fault of Thanos. Together we can stop him. I will stand by your side until he is dead." Loki promises, Tony's hands coming up to cover the cold, pale ones on his face. 

"You will?" 

Loki nods and then shakes his head with a nervous little smile, his eyes wet. "Tony? What... what is this?" 

He couldn't believe he sounded so naive and innocent, asking the mortal to label the frictions going static between them. The blush on his cheeks darken as Tony returns his small smile, one hand stroking gently through his ruined hair, placing the disheveled strand behind his ear. 

"I don't know Reindeer." His answer is honest, because Loki deserves that much from him. "I just know that... that I... I care about you and... and that I'm gonna kill Thanos for what he did to you." 

Loki's green eyes are glossy with tears that threaten to fall as the words leave Tony's lips. He shakes his head in defiance, every part of him wanting to shove stark further away but needing him close to bury himself in. He's never felt so warm and protected in his entire life, sitting there with Tony standing between his legs, holding him in his strong, capable arms. 

"Why do your words affect me so? I've never... I- ...I mean... I'm not worth all this Stark-" 

"Shh." Tony shushes him with a soft pet to his hair and a kiss to his forehead that shuts him up at once. It's all so soft and domestic and sweet that the old Loki would have gagged in disgust. But the new one... the one who'd learnt love and sacrifice and selflessness the hard way embraced the gesture, perfectly purring at the warmth and comfort of snuggling into Tony's chest. 

Both of them are lost to the moment... so they don't notice the glowing green light that engulfs the entire room for a quick second. 

_It disappears when they open their eyes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you Glen Coco XD  
> P.S. CROATIA IS WINNING THE WORLD CUP lol  
> P.S. Y'all think when T'Challa sneezes, he goes "T'Chu!"??? Asking for a friend... XD


	14. Gunshots In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War makes for bad decisions and broken hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo sorry for this late update but I've been working lately and I finish 8 at night so there's barely been time for myself or this fic but I have not stopped writing or thinking about furthering this story. So, here ya go.

Gunshots In The Dark 

 

The world outside has turned a dark and dismal grey. The clouds rumble above the Earth like daunting nuclear bombs about to drop. Bright white lightning flashes in acidic forks across the velvet grey sky. The weather grew worse with every strike that failed to kill Thanos. Thor can feel his anger increasing, his frustration mounting as glowing blue lightning blasts from his fingertips, ultimately missing his target. 

_Thanos._

The man is protecting himself behind an electric blue forcefield created by the space stone. It offers a shelter for Maw as well, who is currently struggling to counter Strange's spells. Hulk- who'd called himself _Worldbreaker_ \- was smashing his mighty green fists against the barrier but in vain. The Outriders were still swarming the field in droves, their earsplitting yowls drowning the cries of the heroes. 

Thor grunts crossly as the sharp claws of an Outrider just barely misses his face. It screeches in pain after being impaled on a familiar black spike. 

"Do not despair, _dear brother._ This _War_ is far from over." Hela grins darkly as she pierces another beast straight through the skull. Thor shakes his head, scoffing in amusement as his lightning blasts clear a direct path towards Thanos. 

"Y'know, if we weren't mid-battle, I'd be a lot more curious as to your true intentions here, _sister._ " 

Hela shrugs, using her horned helmet to kill another beast. 

"We have a history, the Titan and I." 

"And?" Thor prods, seeing the lie behind her poison green eyes. 

She busies herself helping the Hulk smash at the barrier with her powers, smirking a little as a telltale cracks appears on the surface. 

"HULK SMASH!" 

"And what?" She finally replies to Thor who momentarily uses the Ghost Rider's chain whip as a conductor for his lightning powers. It's quite a sight, the silver chain glowing a bright blue as it cracks against the barrier before snaking around two Outriders. When they're burnt to a crisp, he turns to her. 

"I thought you were all about bathing in the blood of the innocent and all that?" 

Hela rolls her eyes before shrugging. "The two children trapped in the Soul World... needed me."

"Two children?" 

"Loki and Thanos's adopted daughter, Gamora."

"She didn't make it?" Thor questions quietly.

Hela shakes her head. "Quite the contrary. She's helping an _old friend_ to the other side. They'll be here soon." 

Thor doesn't need to repeat his original question. He can see the regret and weariness in Hela's eyes as she takes a deep breath. 

"Our brother has suffered enough. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn't wage war in his name?" 

Thor takes her answer with a huge grain of salt, mirroring her sinister grin. And for a second, one could definitively tell that they truly were blood siblings. It seemed almost poetic, the two of them coming together to protect their little Loki. 

It's as it _should_ have been. 

"Then sister, we'll wage war _together."_

 

*

"I am Groot!" The humanoid tree yells, valiantly holding off six Outriders as they began to pile up on Rocket. 

"You said it kid!" The Raccoon grunts, firing his machine guns at the offending beasts. 

"What _did_ he say?" Bucky frowns hard, a small pout on his lips as he cocks his gun next to Sam. 

"Said that these things are only gonna keep coming." 

"We need to shut down their portal!" Strange bellows just a few yards away from them. 

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock!" Sam quips shaking his head at Strange who rolls his eyes. "That's the main objective but that barrier is impenetrable." 

"They came from a portal? I thought they came from that spaceship?" Bucky grumbles, mostly to himself... but also mostly to Sam. 

"The portal is _in_ the ship, genius." Sam shoots back at him as he activates Red Wing. 

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were a spaceship slash alien portal _expert_ Wilson." 

"Guys, c'mon..." Steve interjects but pauses at an unimpressed look from Bucky. After that he simply raises both hands in surrender before tossing his shield. 

"Alright, I'll stay out of it." 

Sam cackles at Steve's expense while Bucky allows himself a smug smile. He never expected Steve to keel so easily, given the fact that he's the human equivalent of a stubborn-as-fuck corgi pup. 

"Gimme an aerial sweep over the city, I want a visual on the ship." Sam orders, giving Red Wing a reassuring pet before letting it go. Bucky shakes his head at the man but doesn't take the bait. 

"Hey guys?! Um, I don't think these things are gonna stop." Spidey comments nervously, webslinging a bunch of Outriders together for Nebula to decapitate. 

"Focus on the task at hand kid!" Star Lord coughs, the blue blood of the beasts covering every inch of his face. 

"I am!" Peter replies, mostly to himself. Beside him, Shuri is firing her Vibranium gauntlets with a deadly serious look on her face. Peter can see the gears shifting behind her clear eyes... can see her working out the science behind the battle. This is business. 

"What's the plan?" She yells, before ordering him to "duck," a blast from her Vibranium gauntlets just barely missing his hair. 

"Uhh, I'm thinkin-!" 

"Peter! Look out!" 

Shuri's scream of warning comes a little too late as an Outrider appears out of nowhere, sweeping the Spider-Man on his back. It's sharp claws are _inches_ from tearing his vocal chords from his throat when suddenly some invisible force grabs it by the neck, squeezing until the thing chokes to death. Shuri scrabbles to Peter's side, hastily pulling him out of harm's way, both of them still in shock at what had just happened. 

"What the hel-" 

"We're here to help." A voice suddenly says startling both teens, Shuri activating her Vibranium gauntlets.

"Who's there?!" She demands, just as a woman suddenly materializes in front of them, her long blonde hair swaying in the wind. Peter's eyes widen at the familiar '4' on the chest of her dark blue suit. 

"Invisible Woman! Holy sh-!" He splutters as both he and Shuri scramble to their feet, mouths agape in awe and excitement. 

"Eyes on the prize kid, this is war!" Sue grunts as another beast barges into her side, dragging her a few meters away. The teens share a quick glance before following. 

"Hey guys? This Ultron douchebag needs to be stopped... _like now."_ Rhodey growls as he narrowly avoids a repulsor ray shot at him from the super-bot. Ultron glares at him with angry purple eyes, his exoskeleton smile menacing as he sends up another beam to counter Rhodey's missiles. 

"Chill man, I've got this." 

War Machine reels back a little in shock as a flaming ball of fire comes up beside him, hovering over the battle with a grin on his face. Rhodey sighs, chuckling wryly all the same. 

"About time you guys showed up, Storm." 

Johnny chuckles as he uses his pyrogenesis to send a heat beam straight at Ultron who just barely blocks it with an annoyed exhale. 

"Colonel Rhodes, please. I prefer to be called _Human Torch_ when we're fighting bad guys." Johnny grins cockily, creating a barrier around himself and War Machine to deflect Ultron's rays. Someone patches in through to Rhodey's communicator. 

"Tony?" 

"Yeah buddy, you good? How's it looking out there?" 

Rhodey rolls his eyes. "Oh it's, all peachy Stark." 

He can hear the grin from his buddy across the wires. 

"How's everything in there?" 

"Wanda and Vision are safe and Deadpool's on watch. Loki's on the mend- hey, guess what? His magic has revived." 

Rhodes raises a brow. "That's a good thing right?" 

"Yes, it is. And we've gotten a little assistance from Mr Rubber Band himself-"

 _"The name is Richards, Stark!"_ Reed yells in the background. 

"Yeah- I'm not calling you Mr Fantastic." Tony tells him, resulting in more muffled yelling. Rhodey rolls his eyes. 

"Is the kid okay?" 

"Yeah, Peter's with Shuri and Susan." 

"Okay, I'll be back out there soon." 

"Actually I think we've got it covered." Rhodes quips with a grin. 

"Ha ha, very funny. See you in a bit, sweetums." 

It takes him a few seconds to realise that Torch had heard every single word of their conversation. He gives the flaming man a mean side-eye before sticking his chin up haughtily. 

"It's an inside joke." 

"Sure it is." 

"Let's get back to work." 

 

*

Tony is far from alright, if he's being honest. 

He'd forced himself to believe the illusion that he was okay with Loki getting his Seidr back. But if he were really being honest, he never would've let the trickster back on the battlefield- let alone anywhere _near_ Thanos again. Call it overprotectiveness or his natural born stubbornness, but Tony wasn't okay at all with any of this. Just in a matter of seconds, after they'd had their little heart-to-heart, there had been a twinge of light glowing out of Loki before it disappeared. Tony had been none the wiser but Loki had practically squealed with delight, looking down and poking at his stomach where the wound had once been. 

Turns out, his Seidr healed all wounds marring his beautiful body. 

"I- ...my power- it- its back!" The God had gasped like a shocked little kid which made Tony want to cuddle him and strangle him at the same time. 

"Just like that?" Was all he could muster and he immediately regretted it because of the saddened and confused look Loki had shot his way. 

"Well it's never been dormant before so I guess... it just needed some time to- ...to come back to me. But that doesn't matter. What _does_ is that it's back. And we need to be out there again." 

"What if Thanos uses the space stone on you? He could control you just as easily as before and this time, you have powers so..." 

"Even more dangerous..." 

They sit there in the lab for a moment, close to each other, Tony's thumb stroking gently over Loki's wrist. He's not much of a touchy-feely lover- at least in moments like these- but something about Loki's story and his past and his experiences make him feel inclined to just... simply _be there_ for the young prince. Not in an overwhelming, overzealous kind of way but rather one that told subtly Loki that he was _there._ He was there and he wasn't going anywhere. 

_You have me, Reindeer._

"He's gonna try to get to you first." He warns the Asgardian Prince quietly. He feels Loki shift idly beside him, his nakedness covered up once again by his green leathered armor and cape that he'd just magicked onto himself. 

"You mean, I'm a wild card." Loki mutters a bit too gruffly. But Tony knows that voice- ...knows that sound. It's meant to be deflective and dismissive. To make Tony keep him at arms-length and to keep him away. Stark is no stranger to the game, having done it a million times before. 

"Loki Loki Loki..." He sighs, bringing the trickster's hand to his lips, brushing them across his soft, pale knuckles. He gauges the cute but puzzled look on the God's face and lets out a tiny chuckle. 

"You're not the wildcard, Reindeer. Thanos is. I'd trust you in a heartbeat on that battlefield and so would your brother." 

Loki sighs heavily, shaking his head as if to say he doesn't believe him. But then he deflates even more before resting his head on Tony's shoulder, his rugged hair tickling the man's beard. Tony's arm comes up around him, holding him close, stroking through his hair. 

"He's gonna pay for touching your hair, y'know that right?" 

"It's... just hair." Loki hums softly but Tony can hear how affected he is by the reminder that Thanos had defiled him in some of the worst ways. He pulls him closer into the embrace, holding him firmly. 

"No it isn't. It was your pride and a part of you. And he took that away from you. Doesn't that make you angry?" 

Tony's a bit put off by Loki's somber, defeatist demeanor, not used to seeing the God so... damaged before. He'd always seen Loki in this great, majestic light where he would crave revenge on the monster that had hurt him. Where he'd be ravenous for it. But then again, the Loki he knew all those years ago wasn't the same one sitting with him here now. 

Then again, perhaps there was another reason. 

"I am. And when we go back out there, angry is all I'm going to be. But here now... with you... I- ...I'm more scared than angry. And... I feel comfortable in my vulnerability with you. Are you going to make a jest of me?" 

His voice is so small when he says those words that Tony had to look up to see if it's actually Loki he's talking to and not a little kid. But the lost look in those large green eyes might as well have been the frightened gaze of a child. They glisten with unshed tears as Tony shifts closer to the God carefully, a gentle hand on his shoulder, pulling him to rest his head on the human's chest. Surprisingly Loki doesn't protest the sentimental act and instead snuggles into Tony's neck, a deep, soft purrs vibrating from the back of his throat. 

"Hell no. I'm right here. I've got you Reindeer." 

Loki thinks it's funny how he doesn't doubt him for a second. 

 

.....................

 

"C'mon Wade, think!" 

There's an incessant pounding from all sides of the room as the Outriders try to scratch and claw their way inside. Under Maw's orders no doubt. Vision is lying unconscious on a silver gurney, Wanda trying her best to barricade the room whilst keeping an eye on him. Her red lips are drawn back in a fierce snarl but the saddened almost grieving look in her dark eyes tell all.

She's terrified. 

This wouldn't be the first time she's ever been in some big conflict- hell, her entire life had been in turmoil from the very start. Social unrest now seemed like a distant nightmare now though, when placed against the backdrop of HYDRA, Ultron, Crossbones and now this. She'd lost her entire goddamn family due to conflict it was truly a wonder how she hadn't gone insane yet. Her parents' deaths under the dictatorial rule in Sokovia was just the start. She would lose her brother, Pietro, and her freedom after the Accords and now... Vision. 

The emotionless, humanoid robot who showed her love and care and consideration in the most endearing of ways. 

"...-almost clawed my eye out!" 

She shakes her head at Wade's shout, the barrier she'd created breaking a little as she loses focus. 

"I can't hold this for long!" She grunts, arms shaking with the pressure of struggling to uphold her powers. 

"It's okay! We can take em! They're just slimy fucks with an extra pair of legs. Or arms... however you wanna look at it." Deadpool replies, talking mostly to himself. His katana blades are drawn t the ready, ass clenched tight as he braces for the barrier to break, letting in the aliens in droves. 

"Protect the sex doll, keep the stone safe." He yells as the wall finally crumbles under the pressure, about a dozen Outriders snarling, hissing and spitting for the chance to get at them. Wanda rolls her eyes but drops her magic anyway, creating a smaller force field around Vision alone. It requires less of her attention and even less of her powers so it gives her time to recharge. But it's hard to just watch from the sidelines while Deadpool has all the fun so she grabs up a sword and starts slashing through tough slimy skin and alien heads. 

"Goddammit these things are uglier than Predator! Like- how is that even _possible?!"_

_"I'll show you ugly!"_

Suddenly there's a pile of orange rocks in front of Wanda, blocking her from an onslaught of sharp teeth and claws. The Thing, as they called him, takes a mighty step towards the beasts, roars in it's face before tearing it's gaping jaw in two. Deadpool claps excitedly as the scientific anomaly continues tearing apart the Outriders. 

"Superhero crossover!" Wade giggles happily, before impaling a beast from behind him with his katanas. 

"Pull your head outta your ass Pool! They're closing in on the stone! Thanos can't get it!" 

"Right! The stone-!"

Wanda's pained cry cuts him off as a blast sends her flying back into the wall, crashing straight through it as if it were made of paper. 

It Maw. 

"Shit!"

Wade runs to her but she snarls at him, sprawled on the floor cradling her arm. It looks broken and blood is dripping in thick drops down her wrist. 

"I'm fine! Viz! Viz needs help!" 

The Thing is thrown across the floor and through the glass window like a ragdoll, leaving Vision defenseless. His brows furrow weakly as if he's trying to wake up but it's no use. Maw's got Vision in his clutches. 

"I don't think so Voldemort!" Wade quips, brandishing his katanas at the Torturer. 

"Put Super Siri down now before I slice off what's left of your nose!" 

"Bumbling human. Get out of my way." Maw threatens, tossing Deadpool across the room with a simple flick of the wrist. He grabs Wanda in a vice-like grip, his powers crushing the life out of her as he clenches his fist harder. Her screams are severely reminiscent of familiar nightmares for Wade who's losing his cool for the first time in a long time. 

He struggles to choke out the words. 

"Sorry Davy Jones. Can't let you do that." 

There's a nervous tone edging his voice now- he's being literally and figuratively pushed into a corner and Wanda screams out for more. Her eyes are wide with fear but it's not for herself. Vision. 

It's for Vision. He was the main priority here. The stone _had_ to be protected at all cost.

"Alright! Alright baldy. Let her go."

He can hear Wanda screaming "no!" in the background but Wade couldn't let her die. Some described him as a psychopathic killer and others often commended him for his lack of empathy. But... he knew the meaning of life. He knew what a soul was worth- hell, he was taught that lesson the hard way. Losing Vanessa was the hardest thing he's ever had to face in his life. And now here was Wanda, willing to make the sacrifice play to save her- ... to save Vision. 

No. 

"C'mon man. You let her go, you get the stone." 

But Maw laughs in his face, a dark and sinister thing. 

"Perhaps I appear to be joking to a primitive mind such as yours but I assure you Earthling, you are but words. I will break her bones and melt her skin if I have to. _No one_ fails Thanos."

 _"Don't listen to him! Vision! Protect him-!"_

There's a thunderous crash as Maw plows through the brick and broken plaster. 

The building is empty. 

"I'm sorry..." 

The only sounds left are those of the Scarlet Witch's mournful cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AMATW was awesome by the way... and Tom Hiddlesbum is bae


	15. I Will Never Go Down Any Other Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avengers Assemble!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't mean to keep you guys waiting. :(

I Will Never Go Down Any Other Way 

 

_The Mind Stone was gone._

_Now it was in the hands of the Mad Titan._

Tony tried his best to wrap his head around what Wade had just told him. He knows he should be way more concerned with the Scarlet Witch who is currently bleeding out on the floor next to Wade and Steve but it's almost as if he's been forced into lockdown mode. Not even Loki's soft nudges to his shoulder are waking him out of his reverie. 

This was it. 

This was the end game as Stephen had been reminding them in the last forty-eight hours. The sorcerer supreme stood there, his blue eyes dark with regret, sorrow and an uncommon helplessness. His cloak didn't even stir... just rested eerily still on his back- as if to say that the world itself had gone still. The time stone glowed quietly on Strange's chest, ominous and dangerous in it's silver casing. 

It was the last stone.

That made Strange the number one priority. 

"Get out of here." Tony suddenly says, interrupting Thor and Cap. The entire group huddled behind the broken walls of Avengers Tower grows silent, eyes blinking in confusion at him. 

"Tony, what the hell?" Sam frowns, Red Wing twitching on his shoulder. Stephen glares at the man, his wolf blue eyes glinting with frustration. 

"I've already told you I'm not going anywhere Stark. The stone stays wi-"

"Yeah I know _dipshit._ The stone stays with you. Well keep it and get away as far as possible from here... we- we can buy you time... I-" 

_"Tony..."_

Loki's soft voice halts him for a long, haunted second and he feels his chest tighten. It's that feeling again; that crushing weight on top of him like a mere ant under a boot. The walls are closing in and people are hurt- _his people-_ and there's nothing he can do to save them. Wanda's hurt, They took Vision... Loki's speaking to him but he can't bear to listen to the sound of his sweet voice for fear that he might never hear it again. Thor's hand on his shoulder is supposed to be a reassuring one but all he feels is pain... pain that will soon come. 

He _has_ to take a step back before he loses it. 

_"Stark...!"_

He blinks a few times to properly wake himself up. 

"Tony. Listen to me, the Doctor is safer here with us. Wherever he goes, the stone goes. And so does Maw. We're no help to him worlds apart." Thor reasons gently, both of them unaware of the God's thumb that's soothingly stroking the underside of Tony's jaw. 

"We need a plan of attack." Rhodey states firmly as the heroes all assemble in the broken building. Thanos and his goons are all outside, trying to burrow a way in. Hela and the Worldbreaker Hulk are the only forces holding him back at the moment. Thor had to remind himself to send a prayer to the Gods for her assistance. He quietly gathers Tony to a private corner, forcing the man to take a seat before he cants over from worry and exhaustion. 

"He's nearly gone catatonic." Loki murmurs softly from somewhere behind him, his glistening emerald eyes lowered in... regret? 

Shame? 

_Sorrow?_

Thor immediately goes over to his brother and envelops him in a tight, crushing embrace. To his surprise, Loki doesn't fight him, doesn't go rigid against his body but instead melts into the touch, his head resting tiredly on Thor's shoulder. He holds the smaller one for a long while, tears heavy with regret, love and unspoken apologies sliding down his face, soaking into his scruffy beard. Loki's slim frame feels unreal in his arms, his disheveled hair silky soft like water from an enchanted stream against his fingers. 

"I've been meaning to fix that." The trickster mutters, mostly to himself as he's suddenly engulfed in a bright green light. When it dissipates, Thor feels his chest expand at the sight before him. Loki's all cleaned up and gorgeous and pristine as he's always been. His armor is no longer tarnished with blackened singes and bloodstains but is new again, the blue-green leather and golden trimmings glowing with a new shine. His hair that was once ruined is long again- if not longer than it was before- cascading down his slim shoulders and back in long, silky black tendrils. 

"Beautiful." Thor breathes out after a long pause, his hands coming up to cradle Loki's pretty face, thumbs swiping across prominent cheekbones. Bright green eyes squeeze shut in amusement and Thor almost doesn't believe the adorable giggle that leaves Loki's throat. Cool, tapering fingers rest gently on Thor's warmer ones, the two gods reveling in the feel of each other as of they'd been deprived of it for centuries. 

_Such a sentiment was not far from the truth._

"I'm afraid my words have failed me. But please, do not mistake my lack of speech for anger or distaste. I have missed you _dearly_ my love." The God of Thunder whispers, wiping away a tear that slips down Loki's cheek. Brilliant green eyes blink in genuine surprise at him before Loki tiptoes and plants a timid but meaningful kiss on Thor's lips. He looks away, blushing timidly as his eyes fall upon Tony from behind them. He seems to have calmed down a bit but there's still a haunted look in his hazel brown doe-eyes. 

*

"Rest now, Scarlet Sorceress." Shuri orders gently, her palm flat against Wanda's forehead. The witch's eyes flutter shut as she collapses against the pillows beneath her. She's grieving- that much the Wakandan princess can tell. Losing Vision had taken almost everything out of her and so she needed rest to help her recover. Shuri used the power of vibranium to help stem the wounds to her arm and torso. The rest, her body would have to do on its own. 

"That's amazing." Peter whispers from over her shoulder as she takes a step back from the hospital bed. Shuri smiles slightly before sighing with a heavy shrug. 

"I hope I do not have to use it on anyone again. We must defeat the purple tyrant before more of us are picked off." 

"Aye sister, that is true." T'Challa intones, dark eyes looking off into the distance. The distinctive roar of the Hulk shatters some glass around them and sends vibrations through the concrete floors. 

"Couldn't you just use the time stone to get back Vision, un-injure Wanda and retrieve the mind stone?" Human Torch asks, a dry sort of curiosity in his tone. 

"The situation is much too volatile. Time affects us _all._ I'm afraid if I go back, those who would have just barely escaped some lethal strike or other would not be so lucky again." Dr Strange answers gravely. 

"And besides, if he did use the time stone, the movie would end way sooner than it was meant to." Deadpool jokes from the side, breaking the fourth wall much to the discomfort of the other insulated characters. The Thing and Sam roll their eyes. 

"Your job was to protect the stone!" Strange growls impatiently at the merc. 

"If he did then... Wanda would be dead." Bucky interjects quietly, his wolfish blue eyes glaring hard at the floor. Steve nods along with his best pal. 

"Buck's right. We don't trade lives. It's what keeps us in check." 

Stephen sighs in frustration at their sentiment but knows that they're right. If they'd sacrificed both Wanda and Vision to keep the stone if only for a little while longer, they would have been no better than the Titan they were facing. 

"Okay. Let's get down to brass tax- _the Gauntlet."_ Sam states firmly, getting them back on track. 

"Right." Drax nods. 

"We need to get close to Thanos in order to get it off. So what does that mean?" Star Lord pipes up, looking around the table. 

"Take out his entourage." Rocket replies promptly. 

"I've got Ultron." Natasha interjects almost immediately, causing everyone at the table to look at her. The res no remorse, shame or sheepishness in her gaze however. She looks pissed off and ready for a war. Clint checks his quiver before nodding firmly. 

"I'm with you on that." 

"Same here." Sue adds, her invisibility powers flickering for a few seconds. 

Steve nods, both hands against the table. 

"Okay. Nat, you're leading the team to Ultron." 

"Count me in." Shuri states, nodding to Peter who joins them. 

"Who's gonna take Red Skull?" Ghost Rider questions, his voice as silent as a crackling building consumed by fire. 

"Leave him to me." Bucky growls as Steve grabs up his shield. 

"Buck and I will take out Schmidt."

"Not alone you're not." Sam interrupts, his arms folded, brows together in a serious stare. "I'm with you guys til the end." He quips, Bucky's grin like a glorious sunshine breaking out of gloomy clouds after a long storm. 

"Alright pal." Steve nods with a genuine smile, patting Sam on the shoulder. 

"M'Baku, the Dora Milaje and I will take out the Outriders." T'Challa informs as the Jabari Tribe and Okoye come to stand behind him. 

"Count us in man. Meik and I are still in the mood to kick some alien butt. I'll crush em like paper." That's Korg, and Meik who are now joined by Brunnhilde, Groot, Rocket and Drax. 

"I'll deal with Maw." Strange grunts, levitating above them all with his cloak flowing graciously behind him like some kind of ethereal God. 

"You won't be alone." Loki suddenly says, his voice echoing from the distance until he approaches them, golden helmet in hand. His face is drawn in a deadly stare, green eyes poisonous with a hunger for vengeance.

"He's at the top of my list right after Thanos." The trickster states resolutely, slipping on his horns. The cold, green glint in his eyes is reminiscent of the psychotic Loki who'd almost destroyed New York. The only difference was that now they had the God of Mischief on their side. And that was a _major_ disadvantage for the Titan. 

"And Thanos is mine." Thor rumbles, the sky outside roiling with thick black clouds and flashes of blue cynical lightning bolts. 

"Get in line." Nebula hisses, cocking her mechanical arm at the ready like a machine gun. Mantis steps up beside Nebula, her antennae glowing a blinding white, her eyes black like the demons of Mephistopheles himself. 

"I am prepared to avenge my family. For Gamora." She growls, just as Quill steps up. 

"For my girl. That purple dick is gonna get blueballed so hard, he won't know what hit him." 

"Oh he will, Lord. I'll make sure he remembers my name before he takes his dying breath." 

Everyone turns in surprise as Tony finally joins them, his suit fully on, eyes glowing at the heroes. Loki does his best to suppress the urge to curl into the man's arms and instead smirks mischievously to himself. Thor raises his fist into the air, fingertips surrounded by blue lightning as he gives the battle cry. 

_"Avengers assemble!_

..................

They all move like a well-oiled machine after that. 

Natasha leads her formidable team to Ultron, while Thor and Tony's team distracts Thanos. With the Titan distracted, Ultron would be weakened as he wouldn't be able to gauge or control the energy of the power stone. Like the ever classic Black Widow, she attacks the humanoid super-bot head on using her PM pistols. The bullets dent Ultron's armor but don't do much to phase him. 

Nat knows this. 

She immediately drops her guns and brandished two KGB issue batons, stabbing him through the torso. 

"Now!" 

Shuri runs up from behind her and blasts Ultron in the head, sending him pitching across the street. He doesn't go far though as Peter flicks his wrist, sending out a string of webbing that pulls the bot right back to them.

"Ha ha!" Spidey cheers was Clint steps into action, readying his bow. He times it perfectly, waiting until Ultron is just a few feet from him before he releases the arrow from its bow, sending it straight through the thing's head. 

_"Ow... that- ...that really hurt."_ Ultron chuckles eerily to himself, his mechanical arm coming up to rip the arrow from between his eyes. An invisible force however stops him, grabbing his wrist and bending it back until the entire limb snaps off like a piece of twig. 

"You're so cool." Peter gushes at Sue whilst simultaneously webbing up Ultron. 

"Thanks Spidey." 

"Do you remember me?" Nat questions quietly, as she takes careful step after step toward the super-bot. He'd kept her captive in Sokovia for hours, spewing nonsensical theories and philosophies about the human race. She recalls her annoyance and impatience- only wanting to kill the sick bastard when she got the chance. It was a chance she thought she'd never get again. 

Sokovia was gone. 

It was _destroyed._

Sokovia is where it all fell apart...

Sokovia is where she'd thought she lost Bruce... _forever..._

There is no emotion in her eyes as she sticks her knife into Ultron's jugular. There's a metallic, almost whining sound that escapes the thing's throat- like steel rubbing against steel. Ultron's eyes fade from purple to red, and they stay locked onto her face. 

"Kill me... if you must..." He whines, his vocal chords torn up and shot as her knife digs deeper into his neck. 

"But Thanos... still... lives-" 

The sound of a supercharged repulsor interrupts his speech and before he can finish, Shuri's vibranium gauntlet blows the super-bot's head clean off. The battered and dented body collapses uselessly to the ground with a noisy clunk, the heroes gathered around it like some kind of silent vigil...

...the quiet rustling of leaves their only prayer. 

 

..................

_Death._

_Fire._

_War._

It's almost as if they'd never left the battlefield. 

_Almost-_ hell, they _hadn't._

Steve can almost hear the devastating sound of his own asthmatic breathing in the bloodrush in his ears. Bucky can feel his goddamn arm throb with a familiar pain reminiscent of the many agonizing surgeries he'd been forced to undergo because of The Red Skull. And Sam... 

Sam can suddenly see Riley right in front of him, screaming for assistance that would never come. Only, this isn't Riley grunting under the weight of Schmidt's mighty sword- _it's Bucky._ And it's suddenly like he's there to watch again. His mind feels muddled and sluggish with a tiredness that he isn't used to. 

"Sam-!" 

That's Steve crying out his name as he's taken down. It doesn't take much for him to realize that Thanos is using the mind stone on him. Which means one of two things- 1) Vision was dead; and 2)... He had about ten seconds to break out of the spell before he's forced to go under as well. Bucky's entire demeanor just screams PTSD while Steve's is one of rabid desperation. He's clawing at Skull, trying to break out of his grasp but it seems as if Skull's time on Vhormir has made him stronger than any super serum could. Blaze's whip cracks the ground beside him as his wings open out, expanding out in a devastatingly graceful arch. 

"I think it only fair, to blame destiny that we meet again after all this time, Captain." Schmidt sneers, his exposed jaw showing off a menacing row of teeth. 

"Touch him and you're dead!" Steve snarls as the Skull closes his fist around Bucky's neck. Sam swoops in just in time to knock the Skull off of the soldiers, the power of the mind stone shaking off as Thor rains lightning down upon Thanos. Schmidt isn't left unprotected however- he's an evolved being after all. In a flash has back in his feet, staring down at Sam who helps Cap get Bucky to his feet. 

_"Schändlich."_ Red Skull growls under his breath, adjusting his sweeping robes. 

"Du wagst es, mich zu entehren?!"

Sam snorts at him with a disgusted grunt. 

"Man, shut the hell up." 

"Blaze, you ready?" Steve yells just as a revving motorbike comes speeding towards the HYDRA originator. It's a showdown of epic proportions as the Red Skull faces off with the flaming Ghost Rider. Blaze doesn't head straight for Schmidt however and instead proceeds to circle around him, entrapping him within a damned ring of fire. 

"Buck- now!" 

There's a foreboding glint in Bucky's eyes that is reminiscent of the Winter Soldier and for a moment, Steve feels chills colder than the ice he'd been frozen in crawl up and down his skin. Bucky utilizes all the might of his vibranium enhanced arm to swing the Rider's chain around like a lasso until it wraps securely around Schmidt in tight coils. It only takes a few steps for Bucky to come face to face with the man who had ruined his and Steve's lives. 

The deep shadows cast over his eyes by the hollows of his eye sockets make Schmidt seem much more menacing in the bright light of the afternoon. The sun shone down on them like some great beacon, Bucky's body casting a heavy shadow over Skull's. It was almost poetic then, how the light touched Bucky's skin, glistening against his bionic arm and how it stopped and overshadowed Skull entirely. Like a great retribution that had finally come after _decades_ of torture and suffering. 

Both Steve and Sam stand by his side as he grabs Schmidt by his bony jaw. 

"I've not used this power of mine in such a way, ...ever." Johnny Blaze says quietly, his afire hand on Bucky's shoulder. Bucky takes a deep breath in response, his skin tingling as he stares straight into Schmidt's eyes with no emotion. Blaze's voice is gentle and patient in his ear.

"Look into his eyes, Barnes. Think of the things you love-" 

_Steve..._

"The things you cherish-" 

_Sam..._

"The people who surround you-"

_T'Challa... Shuri... The Avengers- ...Tony..._

"Now think of everything that's been taken from you." 

_My life... who I am- was- ...I left Steve behind..._

"Everything he's caused you to lose, and everything that he's made you become." 

_My sanity, my morals... Steve... The Winter Soldier... Tony's parents..._

With every memory and every jolt that each one brings, Bucky can feel his eyes watering with agonizing sorrow at everything he realises he's been forced to lose. He recalls each and every one of the people he's hurt or killed and it's like a physical pain in his gut. But he does as Blaze instructs and maintains eye contact with Red Skull. 

The Ghost Rider reaches out his hand and presses it against the man's face.

"Wh- what are you doing?" Bucky chokes, as Schmidt begins to grunt in discomfort.

"He has to pay for it. Pay for everything he's done to you and millions of other innocents." 

"Wh- ho- how?" 

The Ghost Rider simply offers him a sadistic smile, and suddenly he looks frightening- like a demon of death. 

"I am the spirit of vengeance, child. I avenge the souls tortured and broken by evil... _pure evil."_

That last phrase is said with a significant look at the Red Skull as the man starts to scream. His body slowly becomes consumed by a fire, much like the one covering the Rider and his eyes widen with shock as the sounds of all the souls he'd destroyed literally comes back to haunt him. Bucky's eyes widen in shock as the man becomes entirely engulfed by the fire, his screams for mercy out of agony going unheard by the Rider who simply stands there, his hand on Skull's face. 

They don't stop until the body becomes a charred, remnant of a corpse, lying motionless at their feet. 

 

..................

 

Defeating Maw, as fate would have it, turns out to be their most difficult task yet. 

The Torturer is cunning and sly and has perfected his magic to the point where Loki and Stephen are somewhat impressed. He knows every counter to their attacks and packs quite an offense. Loki's Seidr works best at defense and so he has to resort to actual combat with the slimy alien. And despite being a God his chest tightens a bit with trepidation as his psyche seems to have developed a fear of Maw. His body physically flinches every time Maw takes a step towards them. 

"Steady Trickster." Strange comforts him firmly, a gloved hand on his shoulder in some kind of show of reassurance. 

"I'm fine!" Loki hisses with all the disdain he can muster despite feeling considerably better with Strange's words. He can hold his own, he _knows it._

"We need to close the portal! The Wakandan King cannot hold off the Outriders forever." Thor interjects, as a heavy downpour crashes over them, drenching them in cold, wet rain. Loki huffs childishly at his soaked hair but nods nevertheless. 

"Squidward's protecting the portal! Take him out and you can hit it with a lightning blast. That should overload the energy source causing it to cras-" 

"HULK SMASH!" 

Worldbreaker Hulk bellows as he superjumps, coming down like a building over Maw who clambers out of the way _just_ in time. Strange grasps the opportunity to go after the alien. 

"By the crimson bands of Cyttorak!" 

Glowing bands of magic come to wrap securely around Maw, the alien squirming in it's clutch. 

"Enough Maw! You're not going to win!" Strange threatens, levitating just a few inches away from the Torturer. 

"Foolish Gatekeeper, we've already won." Maw sneers, glancing back to Thanos who's occupied with Hela. The Titan acknowledges the signal however and activates the space stone. Loki doesn't have time to react before a shrill cry escapes his own throat. It feels as if his body is on fire, his back arching before he collapses to his hands and knees in the dust and dirt. 

"Loki!" Both Thor and Tony call out to him but he doesn't hear them. 

Not anymore. 

Not in this state. 

Not when his eyes glow blue. 

He's back in Thanos's grip again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy.  
> P.S. Sam Wilson is an underrated precious lil cinnamon roll... thoughts?
> 
> schändlich- disgraceful 
> 
> Du wagst es, mich zu entehren?- you dare dishonor me?!


	16. Give Me Hell, You Can Give Me Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos is running out of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being so late, my net's been screwing up and things have been sucky lately.

Give Me Hell, You Can Give Me Death 

 

"Did you really think you were free from my clutches, _little one_?" 

Loki's back on his feet, his face devoid of any kind of emotion. His eyes flash a telltale blue as he glares down at Thor, Tony, Hela and Hulk. The thunderous downpour crashes over his pale face bit he feels nothing. The water drips from his hair, down his nose, down his face, soaking into his skin. His lips are drawn back into a severe line, menacing and evil. Thor's heart breaks all over again seeing his brother like this. 

_When will it end?!_

"Loki!" Thor screams, his voice drowned out by the rumbling thunder caused by his own hands. Blue lightning flashes across half of the trickster's face, the left half left in darkness. He barely registers his brothers voice, the sound of Thanos much too loud in his ear. 

"No. I am not Loki. I am a child of Thanos." He hisses at them, relishing in the devastated expressions adorning their stupid faces. 

"C'mon Reindeer... this isn't you. You're stronger than this." 

Tony's soft voice sounds more sad than it was disappointed and for some reason that seemed to freeze Loki in his steps. His large green eyes blink up tearfully at them, and for a second he finds himself. 

"Th... Thor? Tony- ...help me." 

"They cannot help you, little one. Not like I can. Now cease this childish behaviour and _finish_ them." Thanos growls, his jaw clenched as he brandishes the Gauntlet at the trickster. 

"B- but..." 

"No child. I am the only one who has seen you for what you truly are. And I have accepted you like my own. Unlike your brother and these useless mortals. Do not be graceless." 

_"Graceless?"_

The familiar mocking sound of Loki's overexaggerated chuckle shocks everyone for a moment, their eyes wide as he appears out of nowhere in a green haze, his eyes bright with... _mischief?_

"Now _that's rich."_ He sneers from behind Maw, his Seidr holding the Torturer in his place. His clone shimmers into nothingness, a mere decoy in his grand scheme. 

"L- ...Loki?" Both Thor and Tony sound rightfully shocked as they stare at him with wide eyes and open mouths. He feels another piece of himself sink back seamlessly into place at their expressions. He was, after all, _the_ God of Mischief. And it was about damn time he reprised that role. 

"I- it's not possible..." Thanos whispers in denial. 

"I sincerely wish I could use the moment to gloat but-" 

He rounds on the hovering Dr Strange; 

"Sorcerer, it is time to prove yourself worthy of magic."

Strange frowns in confusion for a millisecond as the Jötun King uses his Seidr to astral project Thanos out of his body. The Titan roars in dismay as his very being is split in two, his eyes clenched shut in agony. To Thor and the others, it appears as if Thanos is looking right back at his reflection. It's a volatile situation because now there are two Gauntlets on the playing field. 

Loki's plan has to work fast. 

"Strange, the mirror dimension- I know you can conjure it!" 

"Have you lost your mind?! Anything can happen ther-"

"Precisely, _mortal!"_ Loki hisses with all the disdain he's ever had for humanity in his voice. 

"Now use it! Hurry up, I cannot hold them both for long!" 

Strange growls at being told what to do but nevertheless conjures the mirror dimension, sending Loki's astral projection of Thanos into it. 

"What exactly are you planning, trickster?" Stephen grunts, his cloak flapping madly behind him. 

"You know what you must do." Loki chokes, his arms shaking with the pressure of magic coursing through them. It takes his genius all of zero seconds to realize what Loki is asking of him. And he finds himself hesitating- ...truly at crossroads for probably the first time in his life as Sorcerer Supreme. 

"We have very strict rules L-" 

"I care not for brittle human laws, Sorcerer. Just do it!" 

"If I do, you must be absolutely certain that it will do precisely what I think you think it's going to do."

* 

On the ground, Tony's brow raises at the scene, his arms folded.

"What the hell are they talking about?" He mutters to Thor, who looks none the wiser. 

"I have no idea, Stark. It must be sorcerer-speak." 

"Or Parseltongue." Peter says, his voice in awe as the rest of heroes join them in spectating the entire showdown. The portal was destroyed and the last of the Outriders were being taken care of by a very pissed off Hela and Hulk. 

"What did I say about pop culture references kid?" Tony chastises but his eyes are locked onto Loki. 

"I like you." Wade also whispers in awe, eyes on the scene before them while he wraps a Spidey in a hug. 

*

"I should have known that you would be one to utilize the powers of the Dark Dimension." Strange chuckles but he doesn't seem disapproving in the least. He's actually counting on Loki's crazy to see them through this. The weak tug on Loki's wrist brings them back to reality. 

Thanos was regaining power. 

"Mischief." Loki simply shrugs with a glint in his brilliant green eyes, his lips drawn back in a sharp grin and his black hair like the snakes of Medusa whipping at his face in the harsh whirlwinds caused by Thanos's power stone. 

Dr Strange nods once before extending his arms, fingers criss crossed in specific patterns as he calls the dark powers to him. The black Seidr courses through his veins before extending itself to Loki, who receives it in a blast of dark blue energy. He grunts in pain as the dark powers flow through his body, enabling him to control the astral projection of Thanos. It's genius really, Strange realizes as Loki begins to set his plan into motion. The Trickster was by far the superior sorcerer of dark arts and Stephen had always known that but this was possibly the first time he's ever seen the actual manifestation of Loki's genius. 

And it was _breathtaking._

The God of Mischief sought to use the dark powers to manipulate the astral projection of Thanos he'd created through the mirror dimension, using his own body as the strings to control Thanos like a puppet. That way he could get the Gauntlet off without actually doing it himself. Without the Inifinity stones, Thanos was nothing but a Titan- a mere mortal compared to a God. The catch?- Loki could only maintain his hold on both Thanos and Maw for a few minutes without damaging himself permanently. 

Thus, time was working against them. 

"We need to hurry- he's breaking the hold!" Strange calls as Maw begins struggling against the weakened green bands of Seidr around him. 

"It's- uh! It's almost off!" Loki yells through gritted teeth. Thanos is fighting him down to the last finger; the Mad Titan struggling in vain to regain control of his body. Loki can't help but gloat as the Gauntlet slips further down the man's purple wrist. He can see the shocked and betrayed look in those haunted eyes. 

Eyes that had once leered at him predatorily as he was tortured and abused by the head henchman, Ebony Maw. 

"Mercy? Is that betrayal I see alight in your eye, Titan?" Loki questions dryly, his voice a vicious hiss of ice and sinister. Thanos's voice is nothing but a dying whine under the Trickster's control. The astral projection of Thanos fights with itself to pull the Gauntlet off while Thanos himself struggles to keep it on. He's fighting a losing battle as Loki manages to slip the thing even further. 

"No!" 

"No?" Loki mocks. "Then it is fear." 

"Never- arrghh! You will- ...p- pay dearly for thii- s, Asgardian...!" 

Loki snorts cockily. "How many times must I tell you monster? I'm not Asgardian." 

There's a white flash and suddenly Loki is above them all shining in all his Jötun glory. His dark blue skin stands out in stark contrast to Thanos's purple, his eyes blood red like some kind of damning prophecy for the Titan to decipher. 

"I am the rightful King of Jotunheim and a Prince of Asgard. You, _monster_ , will _never_ be a God." Loki snarls before sending a mighty shard of ice straight through Thanos's chest. It's the glancing blow that finally makes him lose his grip on reality, the golden Gauntlet slipping out of his grasp and landing in Loki's arms. There's a harsh jerk as the surge of dark magic cuts off, dragging Strange back to the present. He gasps out wetly for air, a trickle of dark blood dripping from his nose. 

"Loki-!" 

"We must destroy the stones! The Gauntlet has to be destroyed!" Loki shouts over the mighty roar of the Titan. 

"Times run out!" Strange concedes in dismay. "There's no other way to destroy it."

"Yes, there is!" 

"How?"

"Odin. The Allfather was certain that the fires of the _Faltine_ would destroy them." 

Strange freezes for an eternity, his wolfish blue eyes glinting sharply at Loki. 

It takes him another eternity before he speaks again. 

_"I know exactly where we have to go."_

 

...................

 

"No!"

Thor's agonized scream for his brother echoes across the skies, thick and heavy with grey clouds and rainfall. The heroes all stand there, blindsided for the moment as Strange, Loki and Thanos all disappear into nothingness. They'd all seen the Titan lose control of his limbs and they'd seen Loki relieve him of the Infinity Gauntlet... 

...but they weren't sure about what was happening now.

_It was utter chaos._

All hell breaks loose the minute Maw escapes his bonds, his shrill cry like the sound of a great beast. His eyes are narrowed in a grim glare, his clawed hands casting out at all the heroes on the field. 

"The work of the Titan is still very much alive, heathens! I call upon my great beast, I call for the wrath of your undoing!" He screeches, the ground beneath them trembling with a great force. 

Sam's unsure voice sounds in all o their communicators.

"Uhh guys? Red Wing is picking up some... some _freaky_ activity sub-level." He informs them nervously, hovering above like a falcon. 

"The hell is it?!" Cap shouts as the asphalt begins crackling like wax underfoot. 

"Godzilla!" Deadpool screams even though he looks more excited than scared. 

"Okay- is everything a joke to you?" Dr Richards remarks, frowning hard at the scaly head arising from below. 

"Scary things ar-" Wade starts but ends up gaping up as the creature reveals itself. 

To say it's huge is an understatement but accurate all the same. The thing stands tall as any skyscraper in Manhattan, it's yellow viper-like eyes gazing angrily down at them, forked tongue sticking out like some kind of mutated serpent. It has powerful front limbs with claws meters long, all sharp and deadly. It's underside is a burnt coral with the outer scales a helfire red, horns all over the thing's back. It opens it's jaw to let out a breath of fire and an earsplitting screech, the soundwaves knocking both Sam and Tony out of the sky. 

"Woah! Calm down there Bowser!" Wade grunts, ducking out of the way as the thing's tail comes swinging past him. 

" _Armageddon,_ is my pet. And he is under my command." Maw explains dryly, petting the beast's flank like any villain would according to Deadpool. 

_"Kill them all."_

Armageddon's war cry is a roar of awesome proportions, even drowning out that of Worldbreaker Hulk's. The green beast shrinks back slightly in shock at the sheer magnitude of the red, dragon-like adversary. 

"Your green beast is no match for my animal." Maw comments coolly with an air of superiority that was really starting to get to Tony. 

"Being smart beats being big any day Squidward." He snorts, his repulsor rays doing nothing against the tough skin of Armageddon. At this point, none of their powers are enough to even hurt the beast. 

"Well said Stark, but I am afraid we've finally been bested." Thor growls, his lightning merely disorienting the creature for a few seconds. 

"Fret not brother. I thought you were much more resilient than this?" Hela suddenly breaks in, standing there with cool hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed but her lips drawn up in that cocksure smirk that is just signature Hela. She's the only one not throwing vitriol at the thing. 

The only one not completely losing her shit. 

"Sister, what devious scheme do you have in mind?" Thor frowns.

"Help is on the way." She says calmly, strutting over to an abandoned car and sitting on the hood. "I can sense it." 

*

The words barely have time to leave her lips before there's another eruption from the ground, a massive spewing of molten rock and burning ash like a volcano in the middle of Manhattan. 

"The fu-!" 

It's the first time Ghost Rider ever allows himself the opportunity to swear so blatantly and without any reservations whatsoever. He's faced off with some of Hel's mightiest demons and legions but this _has_ to be a new one for the books. The lore spared no ink or vellum when it came to the stories of Surtur, the beast-man made of Helfire itself. Even the great Mephistopheles drew his powers directly from "the fiery crown", as Surtur was fondly regarded as. 

Surtur was the beast of legend, come to life. 

"Holy shit!" Peter squeaks out as all the heroes begin falling back, Surtur and Armageddon facing off with low growls and poisonous hisses. 

_"Prepare beast, for I am your reckoning."_ Surtur threatens, his rage contained yet simultaneously erratic. His fiery crown glows bright orange atop his head, his eyes like two suns glaring down at Maw's mighty pet. He draws his flaming sword, brandishing it at Armageddon, Hela at his side like a silent shadow. 

"It- ...It's not possible!" Maw shrieks in anger and shock at the sight of the hellish beast. 

"Um, Thor... what the hell is that?" Tony mutters at the Thunder God, trying his best to be discreet about it lest Surtur turns his wrath onto the heroes. 

But Thor merely grins at Hela. 

_"That,_ my friends, is Surtur. A friend of the family." 

"I have never laid my eyes on such a hideous yet graceful beast." Drax muses while Quill gapes like a fish that's been out of water too long. 

"Now I've faced some huge assholes before but _this..._ this is the biggest asshole I've ever seen." 

"Vivid." Steve comments dryly while Bucky and Sam cackle behind him. 

"He's beautiful." Wade coos, clapping his hands together like an overexcited toddler. 

"Such beasts have never been known to surface this close to the Middle Earth. How is this possible?" T'Challa inquires, his soft voice a mix of wonder and genuine curiosity. 

And suddenly Thor turns to them, but his eye is sparkling with... _something._ His gaze follows a direct path to Quill, the smirk on his bearded face a sight for sore eyes. And as if in direct response to his sudden change of heart, the rains clear up for a moment, the blue lightning setting the silver clouds alight with a soft glow. 

"Help from a friend, I suppose." He smiles just as they all turn around at the sound of crunching dirt and debris. 

Everything then becomes white noise for Peter Quill; the roars of Armageddon, the mighty grunts of Surtur as his sword pierces the beast through it's chest... all he sees, is- _Gamora._

She stands there all alone, with a hooded cloak over her fiery hair, sword in hand, dripping with blood. Her amber eyes are clear and her lashes ling was they sweep over her prominent cheekbones. Her dark green lips are drawn back into a wry grin, not a single hint of regret in her body language. Where she's been, and how she got there made her even more fearless than she'd already been. She's faced the world and conquered Hel to clear a path for Surtur to follow. 

She was a warrior. 

And she was dearly missed. 

The distraught cry that leaves Quill's throat is cut off as he crashes into her, face buried in her chest as he's unable to control the gutwrenching sobs wracking his body. But she catches him- holds on to him, tightly as she's ever held him, his hands becoming lost in her hair, knocking off her cloak. 

"Lost you... I'm sorry... I lost you..." 

It's a mantra Peter keeps sobbing as they hold on to each other, never letting go. Each apology is met with a soft, merciful _"I'm here... It's not your fault... I'm here."_

Gamora runs her hands through Peter's hair, feeling tears spring into her own eyes when the realization that she might not have ever been able to hold Peter like this again finally washes over her entire being. They both collapse to their knees, still holding on to each other. She forces Peter's head back to look into his eyes, the tears finally flowing when she sees how much of a mess he'd become. Her thumb finger wipes gently at his drenched cheek, his doing the same to hers. 

"I'm here. Peter, look at me. I'm _here."_ She chokes, fighting back the tightness in her chest. 

"You're here. You're here... with- ...with me. You're here with me." Peter cries quietly, stumbling on his words like a child that's just learning to speak. It's a beautiful moment between the two that is respected amongst the heroes who stand as witnesses to the emotional reunion. 

The tide was beginning to turn. 

"I am Groot." Groot whines after a few moments, extending his branches towards both Gamora and Peter, wrapping them in a tight hug. Mantis follows soon after, her antennas flickering brightly with an emotional surge. She squeezes Gamora in a hug, eyes closed as she allows the joyful sentiments to spread across the battlefield and amongst the rest of heroes. 

"Never has a nobler warrior walked the Galaxy, until you." Drax grunts softly, arms embracing the alien they'd once threatened to murder. It's a remarkable consolation if there ever was to be one in this war. And suddenly it felt like the pieces were falling back into place, healing the wounds that had been fractured for so long. 

"Good to have you back friend." Rocket coughs awkwardly, his head down, shrugging shoulders trying to act nonchalant about the whole affair but it's Rocket's MO- acting like he didn't give a damn when he was the most sentimental of the whole group of Guardians. Gamora rolls her eyes with a chuckle as she catches the tear rolling down his soft fur, tugging him into the hug. 

"We're not friends." She tells him gently, scratching him on the head. 

_"We're family."_

Amidst the sounds of Armageddon's dying roar, there is silence in the sound of Nebula's quiet voice. They all turn to her, Gamora's soothing amber eyes regarding her sister sadly. She stands from kneeling in the dirt, surrounded by her Guardian family and slowly approaches the blue alien, no pretense or guardedness about her movements. They are sure and confident. 

"Gamora... I-" Nebula starts but is cut off by Gamora roughly grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her into the tightest hug she'd ever experienced. They stay like that for what seems like an eternity; Gamora's body steady and solid while Nebula breaks down in her sister's arms, tears of genuine emotion finally dripping down her face for the first time in her life. 

She doesn't feel the unbridled fury anymore. 

And her shoulders feel that much lighter, even with the weight of Gamora on them. 

She's at peace. 

_They're_ at peace...

...the daughters of Thanos... finally at peace. 

Beauty out of ashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy.


	17. He Begins To Raise His Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath is always worse than the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for making y'all wait, I've been busy working for that dolla y'all

He Begins To Raise His Voice 

 

When the dust clears, the heroes stand tall like the skyscrapers of Manhattan, their faces grim from the war. 

The clouds that cover overhead are thick and dark with an oncoming rainstorm, and the lightning flashing across the skies are blue. Thor's head is down, almost reverent as cold raindrops soak through his hair, past his face and down the bridge of his nose. His eye is shut tight, either to keep from seeing the world as it is or to keep everyone else from seeing his tears. Loki and Stephen are still gone... no sign of them or Thanos. Maw is dead, his corpse rotting on the floor next to the charred remains of the Red Skull. Armageddon rests on its side, a flaming hole going straight through it's chest. And Surtur is gone. 

Hela stands in solemn silence, one hand resting gently on Fenris who turns his gray-blue eyes to the morose skies. It's either a waiting period or a silent vigil they're holding for the sorcerers but the atmosphere is definitely heavy with sorrow and loss. Vision was dead. Tony injured and Bucky, still nursing the after effects of Blaze's power. Wanda was still unconscious under Dr Richards' care and Sue was favoring her torso that was drenched in blood. 

The Hulk, was nowhere to be found. 

"What now?" Peter asks quietly, his voice shaky with uncertainty. He's sitting on the floor next to Wade, his hands pressing over a bleeding wound on Tony's side. Tears are blurring his vision but he tries to keep his head high and his resolve strong. Tony pats him gently on the shoulder. 

"Now we wait kid. Try to fix what we can and- ... and wait for the worst." He answers with a heavy sigh, his eyes dull and teary. He's lost Loki for all he knows and Manhattan was a mess. He wasn't sure if this was as bad as Sokovia but he was certain that they would all face severe repercussions for collateral damage. He couldn't bear the thought of having to go through another Sokovia Accords dilemma, especially when they were all finally on the same side again. He needed them right now, no matter how much his pride denied it. He _couldn't_ be alone... 

His chest tightens uncomfortably as the first tear slips down his face. He immediately lowers his head to block Peter from seeing him cry but the sob that tears out from his throat is a dead giveaway. 

_"Mr Stark...?"_

Peter's voice is soft, gentle and kind- and it only serves to make him even more emotional. He shoves away from the kid roughly, wincing as his wound throbs open, oozing warm blood. 

"M'fine Peter." He mumbles, voice muffled as he looks away towards the overcast skies. 

It's enough for everyone to realize how bad he's hurting. Because whether they acknowledged it or not, Tony was the first person the government blamed when world-altering events like this happened. He was the bulletproof glass that took all the hits while the others got off with just a slap on the wrist. And usually he could take the hits- Or mayne it was his pride that made it seem like he could take the constant bullying but now... now was different. It was as if something in him had broken and now his true feelings were flowing out of him like a river. 

"Fine... I'm fine, kid..." He barely hears himself repeating the tired mantra to the kid from Queens who is now wrapped around him tight, eyes squeezed shut, sobbing into Tony's shoulder. 

"No you're not! Stop saying you're fine! I'm here Mr Stark-!" 

Tony's shocked into stunned silence as Peter clutches him harder as if begging him to understand. He blinks a few years away before patting Peter gently on the back. 

"Pete- ...I..." 

But his words are cut off by Steve who drops to his knees and embraces him along with Peter.

"Enough Tony. You're not alone in this. We're all standing right here, by your side." Rogers tells him as genuinely as he can; because he means it and God knows Tony needs to hear this right now. 

"He's right. I'm with you also." Bucky states, his metal arm an immense comfort on Tony's back. 

"So am I." Sam nods firmly along with the other heroes. "We've got your back Tony." 

"And if they didn't, I'd fight a war all over again." Rhodey smirks, winking at Tony who finally cracks a smile through his tears. 

"Aye, son of Rhodes. The son of Stark be rightfully worthy of war in his name." Thor rumbles, pulling Tony close to his side. Tony finds himself leaning heavily against the God of Thunder, sourcing comfort from his warmth. It's some unspoken thing between them, borne of their mutual love for Loki and something... _more._

"Hear me, Tony. I shall strike down whosoever has the gall to punish you for the aftermath of this war. You have my word." The Asgardian promises valiantly, eyes shining as he gazes down at a dazed Tony. The human merely nods, stupefied by the sudden rush of love and support from heroes who'd previously been on the other side of the battlefield. Thor's muscled arm around him makes everything that much better, leaving him a bit perplexed at this newfound closeness. He guessed they both had Loki to thank for that- ...and there it was; the single thought of the dark haired trickster had him crumbling in on himself again. 

Loki was gone.

Stephen was gone.

Vision was dead. 

Thanos was- ...

"They are but vague ghosts of themselves... wherever they are." 

Tony shakes himself out of his reverie and turns to Heimdall who had just spoken. His eyes are bright and golden as he speaks, body rigid as if he were in a trance. His hold on the Bifrost sword is tight, his knuckles cracking against the hilt. 

"Wh- where are they?" Thor demands, Hela coming to stand beside him. 

"They are lost to space and time. Where they are, no ordinary human can go." The gatekeeper replies, never one to mince his words. 

"So they're- ..." 

Quill allows his question to linger in the air, unable to finish the last part. He knows the feeling of loss and regret and sadness. He'd only just gotten Gamora back so death was still a sore topic. But there was no beating around the bush about it. Heroes had died to save the Earth- no, the _Universe._

"No. If they were, I'd feel it." Hela replies curtly, her dark eyes on Tony who isn't doing much but resting heavily on Thor's side. 

"Unless we can somehow magic ourselves to wherever in the Galaxy they are, there's nothing more we can do. Nothing but take care of now. There are some wounded and some civilians are still trapped in buildings." Sam announces seriously, fingers to his ear as Red Wing provides him with data and visual of the city. 

"Sam's right." Steve nods, "We'll start the search for civilians." 

"We can head back to space to search for the wizards." Quill offers, Rocket climbing up onto Groot's shoulders. It catches Tony's attention and he nods quickly. Any chance that the sorcerers were still alive was slim to none but it couldn't hurt to try. 

"How're you so sure you're gonna find them?" 

Rocket just smirks, huffing as if he'd said something criminal. 

"Because we're the frickin Guardians of the Galaxy man." 

"I am Groot." 

Tony shakes his head, unable to stop the grin from breaking through his frown. It doesn't last long however.

"Hill, gather up our resources from 21-B." Fury orders, Maria immediately nodding and calling for back-up. They'd been holed up in the tower to keep safe during the war. There was only so much semi-automatics could do to aliens. 

"My team will locate Banner." Dr Richards states promptly, nodding as Natasha tags along with the Four. 

"The Dora Milaje will help escort any wounded to Shuri's lab for treatment." T'Challa informs, Shuri immediately signalling a Wakandan carrier. Both Peter and Wade follow closely. 

"I'll contact clean-up." Tony states, gently shrugging off Thor from his shoulder. The Asgardian King sighs heavily, burdened with the loss of his brother and the plight of his people. 

The skies remain dark overhead. 

 

..................

Thanos is nothing but a corpse by the time the sorcerers are done with him. 

Strange confines him with his crimson bands while Loki slips the Gauntlet off his lifeless arm. He wastes no time in disposing of the vile Titan, eyes glowing green like his Seidr as he clenches a fist in Thanos's direction. The purple skin begins to disintegrate piece by piece, molecule by molecule until he is nothing but dust. He flicks his wrist dramatically, casting the dead dust aside as a face begins to form in the empty space. 

_"Insolent being."_

Loki's heard that voice before. 

It had been in his head while he was unconscious in Tony's lab. It was cruel and warped with a distaste for anything even remotely different. He could sense that it wasn't a God, nor was it of human origin. But it was definitely an entity of incalculable proportions. It's energy flowed and curved along the vacuum that was empty space around them. He frowns curiously at the smattering of brightly coloured stars shining around them, the space a dark velvet canvas of bejeweled suns and planets. 

_It is of the Faltine nature._

Odin's voice in his head sounds clear as a bell, his body naturally cringing in on itself only to straighten after he thinks of the Allfather's plea for forgiveness. That dream hadn't been a dream at all, he realized- ...not when he'd gotten the answers to the question that was the Infinity Gauntlet. Odin told him that the stones needed to be destroyed...

... _of the Faltine nature..._

"Not this douchebag again." Strange huffs from behind the Trickster, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at his cloak. 

Loki frowns. "You know this- ...this _thing?"_

Strange nods his head almost imperceptibly, the green stone at his chest rattling within it's iron confines. The face that materializes before them is made of spite and malevolence. His eyes are bright purple, made of the light of a million captured stars and planets. Bright reds and greens make up his face, the dying hues of captive planets and homes, it's generations having died out long ago. Loki had heard stories of the great being they called, Dormammu... the eater of worlds. 

"Ah, the sorcerer supreme has come for another duel. I see you haven't parted ways with that _infernal_ thing." Dormammu rumbles, eyes flickering down to the green time stone on Strange's chest. 

"You're the one they call the eater of worlds. The Faltine." Loki whispers, half in awe of the larger than life being, half weary of his true power. This was the flame Odin and Frigga had told him about. This was the Faltine that could destroy the Infinity stones. 

_But how?_

Dormammu was a malevolent being, Strange had told him as much. If anything, he would take the stones and wield them to do his own damage to the Universe. And Loki was certain that Surtur was no match for such an entity. The Gauntlet weighs heavy in his shaking hands as he contemplates the implications of such a feat. 

"We are told that you can destroy the stones." Stephen offers, his fists clenched tight as he gazes up at the being. 

Dormammu growls and it sends tremors through the surface of the planet they're hovering over. 

"Give them to me and I shall destroy them as you wish." 

Loki frowns. 

_It could not have been so easy._

Strange scoffs. "I don't need a truth serum to realize that you're lying." 

Dormammu snorts nonchalantly. "The Allfather said that I could destroy them, did he not?" 

"Odin said a being of the Faltine nature. But it seems as if you'd much rather use the stones to finish the Mad Titan's work instead." Loki interjects sharply, brows together in a serious glare. 

"Well, it's not a bad idea... just poor execution."

Loki snorts. "How mightily ironic. The being that can destroy the stones is a malevolent one that wants to see the Galaxy burn."

Dormammu erupts into boisterous laughter that sounds more like a dry cough than an evil cackle. 

"Need I remind you that you are not made of glass either, stone-thrower." 

"Okay, this is going nowhere, fast and I just want to destroy this thing before time runs out." Strange interrupts, pointing to the Gauntlet in Loki's hand. 

The Mind Stone glows quietly, a mere memory of Vision now. The power stone has gone dull and the reality and soul stones glimmer weakly, each of their powers calling out to him like the proverbial devil on his shoulder. 

"Loki." Strange calls out to him but he can't seem to gather enough strength to pay him any mind. 

He feels an invisible tugging in his brain and his eyes automatically navigate towards the brightly glowing space stone on the Gauntlet. 

_The Tesseract._

"What are you doing?" Strange yells at him now, his usually calm voice frantic and panicked now. 

But Loki still doesn't look up. 

His eyes flash emerald at the golden Gauntlet slowly slipping onto his fist. The erratic excitement bubbling within him is akin to the feeling he'd experienced whilst under Thanos's control back in New York. Pure power at the expense of his control over his mind and body. His veins bulge out across his neck, energy surging through him the way lightning does to his brother. A maniacal grin pulls at his lips and he's unable to stop it. 

He doesn't _want_ to stop it. 

"Loki- don't." 

Suddenly Strange's voice cuts through his mind, clear as a bell and he wakes up from his reverie. Glancing up, he meets Stephen's pale blue eyes, the man's hands outstretched. 

"The Tesseract has had a long history with you. But it will do you no good to wield it. Power like this comes with a heavy price that's paid in blood." 

The sorcerer supreme's words etch into his skin like sharp pin-pricks, battering at his conscience like paper against a heavy rain. He thinks of his mother, up there in Valhalla waiting for him to do the right thing. And Odin, carefully watching his every move. Images of Thor and Tony flash through his mind and he can't seem to look them in the eyes. A sorrowful whimper escapes his throat. 

Of course the human would think he was about to go darkside... again. 

But no. 

There was only one thing to be done. 

"The time stone, Strange. _Now._ " He demands, his body disintegrating with every second he held the Gauntlet. 

"Silly human, he's not going to use it." Dormammu chuckles darkly, his eyes gazing down at the Trickster. 

Stephen frowns, hands at the ready to stop Loki if he had to. 

"What are you doing?" 

Loki rolls his eyes, grinning. "No need to be so dramatic, sorcerer. We hand it over to him, the Universe is saved. Right?" He questions, turning to Dormammu himself who nods imperceptibly. 

"Of course, the stones are safe with me." 

Stephen can feel his brows dip in curiosity but he realizes that something has to give here. They don't have much time. And he's known Thor long enough to know that Loki might be crazy, but when it's necessary, he's always got a plan. Sighing with much trepidation, he releases the time stone from the eye of Agamotto and teleports it over to the God. 

"They never learn, do they?" Loki asks with a wistful air at Strange. He carefully places the stones in it's slot and waits for the pain. It comes with a mighty flash of golden light, the power traveling up his hands and throughout his body. He grunts through the burning sensation that threatens to char his skin, eyes widening as he assesses the damages. Thick, purple veins travel up his wrist to his forearm, spreading all over his body like a sickness. 

"You've had your fun, Asgardian. Now hand them over." Dormammu snipes testily, his demeanor becoming way less friendly. 

Loki concedes. 

"You can have this." He growls before aiming the Gauntlet straight for the Faltine's face. 

Dormammu's shrill cry pierces their eardrums, igniting the space around them like millions of exploding stars. In truth, the alien had expected no less from the Trickster. They had the power so there was no doubt that they would use it against him. Only, they didn't realise the futility of their efforts because his very mature alone allowed him to withstand the Gauntlet's power. 

His voice is a dark, sinister chuckle. 

"Did you really think you could hurt me? With _that?_ A child's toy?!" 

The shocked expressions on their faces tell him all that he needs to know. The sorcerer conjures his sling rings while Loki merely stands there aghast. His eyes grow wider when Dormammu sends a spike straight through his heart, blood splattering from his lips. 

"Loki-!" Strange screams but it's too late- ...the Prince was dead. 

Stephen was rarely ever shocked or surprised in battle but this- 

"Come now sorcerer, it's you and me." Dormammu mocks, Loki's skewered corpse a morbid sight between them. 

"So the stones cannot defeat you, but it can wipe off half the Universe. Where's the logic in that?" 

"The stones are as ancient as I am, Sorcerer. But he who knows not how to wield it, cannot use it against me." 

Strange shakes his head, refusing to believe that his journey would end like this. Loki saw a chance and he took it. But it had failed him miserably, the Gauntlet and the stones. In that moment, he wondered if he'd ever make it back to earth. If the Avengers were alive, or if they'd died some horrible death. He thought about Manhattan, Wakanda- hell the whole world that was now in ruins because of Thanos. He wondered if he made it back, would Thor and Tony ever forgive him for letting Loki die. 

And then he thought of Dormammu, the being he'd once tricked a million different times in a million different ways. Of course, he'd had the time stone in his side then. Now it was trapped in the Gauntlet that was still on dead Loki's hand. Time would not allow him to reach for it before Dormammu killed him too. And Dormammu wanted to taunt him for a bit before he ended him. 

_Stalemate._

"And how do you wield it, against you?" He asks honestly, his eyes catching a flickering green light under Loki's corpse. He frowns but doesn't call attention to it. Dormammu might've been powerful beyond all reason but he had his faults, pride being the most damning one of all. 

"Why would I tell you how to kill me?" Dormammu chuckles, his cave of a mouth widening frighteningly wide as he laughs at Strange's expense. But the sorcerer shrugs anyway, eyes switching back to that flickering light. 

"Because I'm about to die anyway? There would be no harm in telling such a secret to a dead man." 

Dormammu hums in agreement. "That would be correct. Alright sorcerer, here's the secret. _You don't have all the stones._ " 

Stephen frowns hard, his mind feeling back a million texts that he had read on Dormammu, the Gauntlet and the Infinity stones. 

He drew a blank. 

"Never thought I'd ever see you look this _dumb_ founded, Strange." 

"There's a seventh stone." Stephen whispers but mostly to himself. "But the Gauntlet only houses six, how can one wield a seventh stone?" 

_"Like this, Strange."_

Loki suddenly appears in a flash of green, his eyes glowing white as he hovers above the sorcerer. He's stripped of all his Asgardian guises, his skin a beautiful dark blue. His black hair flows gracefully around him, as long as his legs, like the black waves of some turbulent sea. His red eyes glare straight at Dormammu whose eyes are wide in disbelief. And on his lips, a brilliant sneer, as he glances down at the stone embedded in his chest. It's white- whiter than any diamond Stephen has ever seen and it's glow is even more blinding. The golden Gauntlet shines upon his fist, like a great talisman. 

"The next time you try to kill me, please do." Loki jests, before a blast of pure white light pierces straight through Dormammu's head, splitting his massive skull, the captive planets and stars releasing with every second. His great eyes explode before his entire being begins to disintegrate. Stephen stands, an audience of one to the majestic sight before him, the erupting stars becoming bright bursts of light in the space around him. He watches in awe as Loki sends another white beam through Dormammu's dying body of planets, ever one to finish the job. 

Then the ground beneath him starts to shake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy minhoy


	18. Holocene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worries fester and Peter Quill learns something more about himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, so sorry for the late update but omg this story is coming to an end and this is the 2nd to last chapter!!! I'm so excited and emotional about this!

Holocene 

 

Stephen Strange had seen many a wondrous and equally confusing thing in his very short life as a mortal on the planet called Earth. 

He'd seen the joy on a woman's face as she became a mother for the first time, the agonizing horror on a man's face after his father flatlined on the operating table ten seconds into surgery; and he'd seen countless patients who'd returned from the brink of death, himself included. 

But he never thought he'd ever bear witness to a _miracle_ like this one. 

They were just about done for, in his expert opinion- their chips all down on the table ready to accept a haunting defeat at the hands of the eater of worlds. Loki was dead, his corpse oozing blood on several spikes piercing his fragile body in a million different ways. His green eyes were gazing sadly back at him, bloodshot and widened in dismay or surprise. The first shock was how instantly regretful and sorry he'd felt the moment it had happened, Dormammu laughing maniacally in the background. He'd chalked it up to the fact that every time Loki seemed to be dead, he was in fact not and it was that constant resurrection factor that made Loki into the larger than life God he'd perceived himself to be. 

Turns out he was wrong. 

Because now, he was certain that the ragged beating of his heart and the wetness in his eyes were for the Trickster currently swerving in and out of consciousness. 

After Dormammu had been vanquished, the power of the seventh stone- _Ego_ , as Loki had told him- had taken a heavy toll on the Asgardian, charring his flesh and burning him from the inside out. He'd fallen unconscious soon after, his blue skin becoming it's usual pale white, his green eyes tearful but content. Almost as if he was accepting of death right in that moment. 

"Y'know, something tells me you blew up that planet on purpose." He grumbles, mostly to himself but Loki scoffs weakly, head against Stephen's chest. 

"Mm... y- you're- quite right." He coughs, every breath rattling his bruised ribs. The Gauntlet was destroyed along with Dormammu but the stone of Ego had remained with Loki, the gem glowing a bright white within the iron casing that had once held the time stone. The necklace hung tiredly around Loki's neck. 

Strange rolls his eyes though not unkindly. 

"You're not supposed to agree with me." 

"You- ...you should've left m- ...me." Loki murmurs quietly, his entire body shaking uncontrollably in Stephen's arms. The sorcerer uses every ounce of self control to keep his facial expression straight- revealing nothing but the hard glint in his blue eyes is a dead giveaway. 

"Has anyone ever told you you're a diva?" He tries to joke but it falls flat as Loki's eyes slip closed, lashes just barely fluttering against his cheekbones. His body grows cold against Strange's and suddenly he has to wonder if it makes any logical sense carrying the icy corpse of the galaxy's greatest trickster. He has to shake his head defiantly against his own thoughts as they zap in and out of wormholes in space, protected by a forcefield of magic generated by the Ego stone. Stephen has no idea where he's going but he trusts his cloak, even if it rubs him the wrong way sometimes- literally. 

"Why can't sling rings work out here, Levi?" He mutters gazing around at the never-ending tapestry of black velvet sky and twinkling stars and planets they fly past. The cloak makes a shrugging motion on his shoulders before refocusing on the task at hand, it's tails flapping in the freezing winds. And for the first time since Thanos had made his presence felt, Stephen found himself at peace. The galaxy was silent around him save for the whooshing of the wind as they flew, but- ...silent nevertheless. It was a comfortable kind of quiet, that floated gracefully past his ears and tousled his hair only slightly. He looks down at Loki, basically curled up in his arms and swaddled by Levi, and... suddenly, he gets it. 

He gets why Thor loves his adopted brother so much. He gets why he was forced to become humble. He _gets_ why he was put in that car crash and was forced to meet with the Wise One. It's almost as if the entire history of the Universe and his own had become intertwined in that moment and was now reeling past his eyes like some kind of astral projection of his past. Euphoria was probably the closest word to desc- 

_"Hey wizards! We found you!"_

As the Benatar looms in front of them, Levi halting in his tracks, Strange blinks away a few tears from his eyes, not quite sure how they got there and at a complete loss for words and thoughts. He'd been onto something just a few seconds ago... _something about Loki and the Universe and... becoming sorcerer supreme...?_

The memories dissolve further out of reach as the ship's doors open wide to accept them.

He shakes his head...

...it was a fleeting thought anyway. 

 

.....................

Darkness. 

 

 _"The stone of Ego, I'm told."_

_"My dad never mentioned any infinity stones. Of course I only knew him the one time so... and he was a two-timing bastard so it's not like I knew all of his secrets."_

_"Well, he was a celestial."_

_"And a douchebag."_

_"Rocket!"_

_"What? It's true!"_

_"I am Groot."_

_"Oh screw you then."_

The darkness begins fading into light. 

_"Drax, what are you doing?"_

_"Dammit, you're not supposed to see me. I've got to work on my invisibility."_

The voices are distinct, though slightly muffled and warped as he lies swaddled in an ultra soft warmth that almost feels alive. It's the cloak of levitation- no doubt- the thing having taken quite a shine to the Asgardian trickster. Stephen had never seen Levi become so attached to someone as it did to Loki. Dark lashes flutter against his prominent cheekbones, the gentle turbulence of the ship waking him from his sleep. Emerald eyes blink sleepily as he begins to move his sore body, his bones and muscles protesting with every turn. 

_"Entering the stratosphere in t-minus forty two seconds."_

That's the racoon talking Loki surmises tiredly, curling up into a small ball on the sofa he was resting on. Levi purrs into his neck, all snuggly and cat-like. Loki huffs quietly as Drax yawns loudly before dissolving into his seat. Strange is with Rocket, Groot and Mantis at the cockpit and Gamora and Quill are nowhere to be seen. 

"You're awake." 

Levi holds him tighter when he startles at the sound of Quill's voice. The Terran appears from the corner of the room, approaching cautiously before sitting on the sofa next to him. 

He clears his throat. 

"It would seem that I've finally recovered, thank you." 

His voice sounds like honey over glass, raspy but sweet and smooth all the same. Quill dismisses him with a nonchalant shake of the head and flick of the wrist. 

"Dude, c'mon you practically just saved the entire universe." 

The dialect and tone is alien to Loki for sure, but he somehow finds it appealing. It was a good different. His brows furrow with uncertainty but he gives a curt nod. 

"I suppose it would seem that way but, I'm afraid I must be modest about it and admit it was all a collective effort." 

Something about Quill's grin makes him feel happy inside. He gingerly returns the smile, still holding reservations about himself and the reputation he and his evildoings had perpetuated across the galaxy. Sitting there opposite each other, they _couldn't_ have been more different. Star Lord was one of the celebrated heroes of the Galaxy- a Guardian- while he was stained with the moniker of nothing more than a Trickster God. This wasn't self-pity though; rather it was the realization that he'd finally done something for people to be... proud of him. 

And that feeling wasn't even close to anything he'd ever experienced in his life. 

"Either way, you still managed to kill two psycho-genocidal aliens with seven stones. That's pretty awesome." Quill praises again, unaware of the slight blush on Loki's pale cheek. He looks down at the stone around his neck and frowns at it. He notices the growing brightness within the iron casing- something it hadn't done before. 

"I wonder why it wasn't destroyed when I used it." 

"Maybe it has another purpose? I'm more curious as to how you summoned it." 

Loki shakes his head. "I _didn't_ summon it. I found it on Dormammu's realm. He possessed it, knowing that it was the key to killing him. I was lucky I found it in time." 

Quill raises a brow. "Wait, you knew he had it this whole time?" 

"No. Not _it_. I knew he had something that could help us to win the war. A talisman or an amulet, I was not aware of a seventh stone I assure you." Loki replies a bit defensively, breathing laboured as he mistakes Quill's curiosity for judgement. The Terran holds his hands up though, an assurance of sorts.

"Hey, it's okay. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm honestly just curious." He admits, gesturing towards the glowing white stone. It shines brightly in Loki's possession but when Quill's hand goes near, it seems to grow even more blinding. 

Loki frowns. "Your father was Ego. Wasn't he?" 

Peter sighs heavily but then nods, his eyes weighted by the troubles of his past. His father was someone he never thought he'd have to talk about again. Hell, the man had single-handedly ruined his life. And it was hard not to think of Yondu when the topic of "dads" was brought up. Life was still confusing for him in that area. 

"He was a celestial; powerful and almost unstoppable. But I didn't know he had an infinity stone. Probably thought he'd give it to me after I joined him on his murderous quest." 

Loki sits quietly for a moment, respectfully allowing Quill the time to organize his thoughts out loud and in his head. He was no expert when it came to talking about dads but he could understand Quill's confusion. Could feel the familiar ache in his chest. He blinks down at the stone in his hand before releasing it from its iron casing. When Peter looks up from his lap, his eyes widen when he notices Loki's outstretched hand offering him the stone. 

"Power is a double-edged sword. But I believe that you can wield it gracefully. It is yours." The Trickster states, his voice soft despite his firm words. Quill stares at him, disbelieving for a second until the stone touches his fingertips and suddenly, a bright light erupts from the stone. Loki's hands come up to shield him from the blinding whiteness but Peter doesn't move at all. His hand grips the stone tightly until the light subsides and it is nothing but a mere remnant in his palm. 

Quill jumps to his feet in a panic. 

"Where did it g-!" 

He's cut off by a scream ripping from his own throat, the white light returning but this time, travelling up his arm and through the rest of his body. It feels like a fire in his veins, burning his vessels and boiling his blood. The energy brings him to his hands and knees, his body convulsing with every surge. 

"Peter." Loki calls to him, kneeling beside him, the cloak looking on with genuine interest. 

"What the hell is goin' on?" Rocket demands having put the ship on autopilot. Groot comes up behind him, looking over at them curiously. Drax is still asleep in the cockpit. 

"What did you do to him?!" 

"I am Groot." 

"I-" Loki begins but is cut off by Mantis who places a cool hand on Peter's forehead. 

"Peter!" Gamora cries, running to him before collapsing beside him. Her hands grip his shoulders tightly, trying to wake him from his... what the hell was happening to him? She glares at Loki who reels back a bit defensively. 

"Shh. Sleep." Mantis whispers as Quill's violent shaking dissolves into small tremors, his eyes closed tight. As the screams and cries dissipate, the silence once again engulfs the room, all the Guardians glaring down at Loki. He opens his mouth to explain but then there's a shout. 

It's Peter.

"Holy sh-!" 

Gamora gasps. "Peter are you alright?" 

Quill struggles to his feet, legs shaking while his hands are outstretched like he's casting some great spell. His mouth is wide open as he gasps, breathlessness akin to that time when some crazy scientist probably shouted _"Eureka!"_

"Quill what's wrong?" Rocket demands, his tone weary yet concerned. But Quill just shakes his head, his gaping mouth leaving his tongue to wag like a dog's. He holds a hand out gingerly, fingers awkward and outstretched. 

"Guys, check this out." He whispers in a hushed sort of reverie before a bright charge of light fizzles weakly from his fingertips, a series of shocked gasps circling the room. He dangles his fingers a little more confidently the second time around and this time a bolt of pure white light shoots from his finger while his eyes glow white, causing Groot to reel back in panic. 

"The hell...?" Rocket mutters mostly to himself earning a nod from Groot.

"How is the stone giving you power? I thought your abilities died with Ego?" Gamora questions, her eyes narrowed at the place where the Ego stone had dissolved into Peter's palm. Quill shrugs cluelessly. 

"I dunno. I mean, my Dad _did_ create the stone and I _am_ part celestial so..." 

It was the only logical conclusion he could come up with at the moment. The infinity stones were generated by celestials and so it would only make sense that Peter could wield it's true power being part celestial. 

"So it gave you your mojo back?" Rocket shrugs still at a loss for words. 

Quill turns to Loki with a raised brow and a cute but confused grin, the trickster looking just as lost but he offers the Terran a little smile anyway. 

"I- ...I dunno- I mean, I guess?" 

Quill was a protector of the Universe and now that his power was rightfully returned to him, he'd be one of the most powerful beings to exist. A force to be reckoned with. He'd never truly understood why the name Star Lord struck such a keen chord within him but something about the way his mom used to call him that, felt like something more. He guessed that his power had something to do with it now. 

Full circle had never felt better or more satisfying. 

Suddenly there's a loud and obnoxious snort from the cockpit, Drax waking from his hibernation. 

"We've arrived!" 

 

.................

 

The city of Manhattan was far from fixed. 

Almost all of the debris on the streets were cleared but the buildings were a mess. Floors were still caved in, glass windows smashed and blood stains still on the walls. Thanks to Tony's back-up generators and clean energy being pumped through the city via underground cables, the lighting in the city hadn't gone out. But some areas were still affected by poor access to water. And then there was the problem of displacement- the millions of people who'd been evacuated during the conflict were still in hospitals and refugee bases elsewhere. 

Not to mention the _thousands_ of Asgardians who were light years away from _anything_ akin to their home planet. 

Tony's lab is dark, save for the soft blinking lights of his holographic monitors. The sofa however... is alight with fervor. 

"We shouldn't be- mmh- we, _mm- really shouldn't be doing this..."_

It was a hard feat- trying to protest while the tongue of a literal God was plunging down his throat desperately. Tony shivers as Thor growls, heavy hands squeezing and massaging his sides. He winces and whimpers through the pain and soreness of wounds that would take much longer to heal because of his mortality but he doesn't mind. The agony is worth every kiss and every caress. His hands card through Thor's short hair, slipping through the strands like water. 

"Come on Anthony. Moonrise has fallen upon the city and everyone else is a-bed. We're doing nothing wrong." Thor rasps out, burying his face in Tony's neck. The human sighs heavily though, collapsing against Thor's broad chest, his eyes closed tiredly. 

"Yeah but... it _feels_ wrong." 

He feels Thor deflate with disappointment and hurt and he quickly shakes his head. 

"I don't mean because of you, Pointbreak. I mean it- ...it feels like... like someone's missing." 

Thor visibly freezes after that, his eye glassing over as the thought of Loki crosses his mind. He pushes away ever so slightly from Tony that the human has to reach out a hand and hold on to his shoulder before he falls straight off the sofa. He feels Tony's warm hands touching him, calloused fingers running across his skin, causing him to shiver. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn'tve brought it up." Stark apologizes softly in his ear, a train of tiny, whispered "I'm sorries" following the first. Thor growls, grabbing Tony's wandering hands by the wrists, holding them tightly at his sides. 

"Don't you dare apologize Tony. I have faith that Loki will return to us. Now you must have the same." 

Tony shakes his head, his eyes wet. 

"How?" 

For him, Loki was as good as dead out there in space with Thanos. And Strange was a sorcerer supreme but even he, was still human. They'd both be dead soon if they weren't already. It was hard not to give up on hope but Tony's been expecting the worst for so long, he can't fathom a universe where Loki will return to them the same. It all seemed like a pipe dream. He sighs shakily, tears threatening to fall as he rests his forehead on Thor's chest. 

He's tired. 

"Sleep, my love. I shall wake you when the sun rises." Thor whispers, his own eye heavy with weariness. 

The irony of his choice of words is not lost on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy minhoy


	19. Oh, The Stories I Will Tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The War has ended it the heroes still have to face the repercussions. Once they do it together though, they'll be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, lol alot of ppl weren't happy with the whole Tony/Thor relationship. But in my defense, this story is pretty much OOC and I did** put Tony/Thor as one of the main relationships here so.... lol just go with the flow guys ;)

Oh, the Stories I Will Tell 

 

Wade sat at the table in the Avengers dining hall, his right leg shaking idly as he studied Wanda from across the room. 

The Scarlet Witch hadn't said a word since she'd woken up two days ago. Getting her to consume anything more than a sip of water was a mightily difficult task. Every five hours or so a different person would sit with her, try to talk to her, get her to eat something and then leave when another came to do the same. And every time would breed the same result- more agonized silence and a sip of water. Currently, Clint was with her, handing her a glass. Wade sees her raise the glass to her lips before frowning slightly with interest. Her eyes, bloodshot and weary glow with a hint of humor for a few seconds before she takes another sip. 

And then a gulp. 

Wade can see her lips quiver around an impressed, "Vodka?" 

Clint grins and then takes up a seat next to her. He doesn't say a damn word, clear eyes just scanning the room carefully. Wade thinks that his method is the best for Wanda right now. Of course on the other hand, his guilt eats away at him from the inside because Vision was taken under _his_ watch. He sighs and looks away from them at the thought. 

"The Four are resting now. They've managed to treat the wounded that were found and... and the dead are resting in a safe place until their families can come back." 

He turns to see Peter Parker trudging up to him tiredly, his spidey suit long gone as he dons an old pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. His brunette hair is a pretty mess and his face is smudged with dirt and blood but his eyes are hopeful and sincere. 

"How long have you been up kid?" Wade frowns.

"Not a kid, I'm twenty-one." Peter responds wearily before collapsing on the chair next to him. Wade slides over his grilled cheese sandwich that's been sitting on the table for a while now, untouched. 

"Eat. You're exhausted." Is his only come back, his inner idiot wincing at that line. But he doesn't try to be funny or make one of his infamous inappropriate quips. His guilt outweighs his need to fill a room with hilarity. 

"M'not... mm..." Peter hums through a mouthful of sandwich. He's done with the entire thing in a few more bites. His eyes catch Wade looking over at Wanda again as another yawn escapes him. 

"She's not gonna be okay right now. But in time, I think we can all help heal her." 

He doesn't know where the hell that nugget of wisdom came out from but he knows it's the right thing to say as Wade offers him a small grin. 

"You always say smart stuff like that?" 

Peter chuckles, rolling his eyes. He doesn't realize tears are falling down his face until Wade wipes them away before retracting his hand apologetically. He doesn't say anything and Peter looks away, trying to hide his face. He can't stifle the soft whimpers that squeeze from his throat though. Wade could probably fathom a guess that it had been all the dead bodies and blood and trauma that had inspired this emotional breakdown from the kid but he didn't. 

He _couldn't._

_How could he?_

They'd all lost so much in this war- nevermind the fact that only one of their own was dead. The collateral damage fell on their shoulders. The innocent civilians who were here one second and gone the next because of Thanos and his goons. It would have it's time with all of them- one by one until they could no longer call themselves heroes. Tony would no doubt bear the brunt of the reprimands- Ross had it out for him and Banner. But so would the rest of them. The world would change for the Avengers after this. 

"Peter..." He says softly but doesn't know how to continue. 

"I don't know if May's okay... I- I couldn't get through to her and-" A pained sob leaves his throat, cutting off his speech until he's dissolved into tears. 

Wade is at his side in a flash, holding him close as more sobs wrack his body. He buries his face in Wade's chest, tears soaking through the man's sweater but he doesn't care. He tries to put as much sincerity into his touches, rubbing Peter's back gently. 

"S'he hurt?" Clint questions quietly as both he and Wanda come up to them. They'd heard Peter's cries no doubt. Peter clutches Wade tighter when he hears Clint's voice, like he's trying to hide himself away in Wade. 

He shakes his head. "No. He- ..." 

For such a shit-talker, he wonders how the beautiful brunette seems to have him at a loss for words almost all the time. He strokes Peter's hair softly as Wanda offers him a small nod.

"We're here for him. For the both of you." 

Wade shakes his head and looks away. 

"I'm s-" 

"I'm not accepting your apologies." She states firmly, resting her hand on his.  
"Because there is nothing to apologise for." 

The four of them sit together after that, lending their strengths to each other, hearts heavy but souls on the mend. 

 

.................

 

"That one looks like a marshmallow." 

"Man, marshmallows come in all shapes and sizes. That looks like a boat." 

"No not a boat, a ship." 

"A spaceship?"

"No Buck, a _pirate_ ship." 

"That _so_ does not look like a pirate ship. Better than your marshmallow though." 

Bucky rolls his eyes, propping his head on his human arm. They're all lying on the roof of Avengers Tower, staring up at the sky, awaiting the return of the Guardians. Sam and Steve are lying in similar positions on either side of him, Steve a bit closer. They'd been sneaking small kisses the entire night while Sam star-gazed and guessed which constellation looked like Bucky's arm. 

So far, Bucky's marshmallow guess was entirely wrong well- ...according to Sam anyway, who thought it was a boat. Steve on the other hand, thought it was a pirate ship. Bucky rolled his eyes at that- Steve and his adventurous imagination. 

"Okay no wait, that one looks like a flower." Steve says, pointing up at a little grouping of stars to the far right. Sam nods, eyeing Red Wing next to him. 

"Yup. Red Wing agrees Steve." 

"That looks nothing like a flower!" Bucky protests, eyes narrowing at them as if they'd lost their minds. Steve gives him the puppy eyes and curls his lip into a sad, quivering frown. 

"Buck, it does to! It's a tiny sunflower!" 

"It's not."

"It is to!" Sam enforces, earning a brilliant smile from Steve. 

"Now I know who the _real_ best friend is." He teases, Bucky's pout growing sadder by the minute. The ex-assassin shakes his head and looks up at the sky again. 

"Okay, _that_ one looks like Wall-E." Steve grins, continuing their little game. It had honestly just started out as fun but... well, when has fun ever not been a contest amongst the Avengers? 

Sam frowns, glancing over Bucky at Steve. 

"Wait a minute, I didn't put that on the list. How d'you know Wall-E?" 

Steve offers him a sheepish grin while a pink blush stains his cheeks. 

"I know you didn't. Bucky made me watch it and now I think I've watched every single movie in the Disney Pixar Universe." 

Sam turns to gape at Bucky incredulously. "You did? I thought you said you hated those kid movies?" 

It's Steve's turn to gape at Bucky, all three of them snapping into upright positions like little robotic dolls. 

"You did?" He asks a little sadly as Bucky holds up both hands in protest.

"N- no, of course not Steve. I would never-" 

"Yeah yeah, and your real name is Sebastian and you love McDonald's." Sam mocks earning a swift elbow to the ribs from Bucky. Steve ignores their antics for the pride of turning his nose up into the air. 

"Well _I_ for one am not ashamed of saying it. I love Disney movies." 

"Take that back." Sam chuckles as Steve stands up now, all tall and patriotic. 

"Never!" 

"Wilson, you're a hater. Disney movies are... lit." Bucky tries with a half-ashamed smirk at his weak attempt to sound cool. He can see the cringe on Sam's face. 

"Shuri's been keeping you up to date with world trends I see." 

Bucky shakes his head, defeated. 

"Fine. She told me it would sound lame out loud..." He mutters to himself, brows furrowing as a pair of bright indicator light signals come into view. Red Wing makes a click-beeping kind of sound before Sam confirms. 

"The Guardians are back." He announces, his voice suddenly all business. It's heavy and burdened with the memories of the war they had just tried so hard to forget. But Disney Pixar could only do so much to distract them from the aftermath. 

Steve sighs.

"Hopefully with good news." 

 

...................

 

_Loki regards the tall, shadowy figure with much trepidation as he enters the quiet room where he'd been instructed._

It had been quite the tiring night with everyone asking him how both he and Strange had defeated Thanos. Not to mention the barrage of curiosities he'd encountered when he got to the topic of Dormammu. It took him hours to reassure them that the Mad Titan was finally ended and even then they didn't seem so convinced. Then again, it felt weird that he was even talking to them, much less being in the same room with them without being in chains. 

The war changed everything. 

He'd gotten an approving nod from Steve Rogers, an awkward smile from the one they used to call the Winter Soldier and a hearty slap on the shoulder from Sam Wilson, a mannerism that reminded him of Thor. Then the other heroes started pouring in and it all became too much. They weren't treating him like a celebrity or something; but he wasn't liking the attention very much. They all sat around a roundtable, discussing the next step. 

Loki hated roundtable meetings- Thor dragged him to those all the time. 

"Guys, can't we do this another time?" Banner asked a bit politely and a bit impatiently. His eyes meet Loki's and then travel over to Stephen who was already half asleep. They were both grateful for Bruce in that moment. 

"Yes, I agree." Natasha replies, picking at the bandages on her arm. 

"But the world court won't wait. So we've got to talk through our options some time soon." Fury advises before bidding them all a good "fucking" night. 

"Are you okay?" Natasha asks as Bruce scratches at his neck, looking extremely uncomfortable as if he's about to throw up. He's a bit green if she's being honest but that usually comes with the territory. 

Bruce shakes his head. "I'm fine- I jus-" His reply is cut off by a random roar that sounds very much like the Hulk. They all freeze, eyes wide and on red alert for any danger that the Hulk might bring. Natasha backs away but keeps talking to him.

"Bruce, I think the Hulk wants out. Why?" 

"I don't- _arghh!"_

Suddenly there's an earsplitting roar and there's a broken chair where Bruce was sitting just a few seconds ago. Next to it, the Hulk stands, tall and mean and green. He regards them all with much disinterest but pauses when he sees Loki. 

Then he charges right at him. 

"No-!" Loki yelps as the beast grabs him up like a doll, either trying to hug him or crush him with his bare hands. 

"Hulk stop!" Steve yells.

"Baby Avenger!" Hulk roars defensively, holding Loki against his bare chest like a baby doll. 

"I'm not an Avenger. Now put me down you oaf!" Loki demands, his fists battering weakly at the unmoving beast. 

"No! Baby Avenger safe!" Hulk pouts, petting Loki's head albeit a bit roughly. Loki's long, silky curls are a right mess after Hulk is done with it, lying messily atop his head. 

"I thought Thor was the baby Avenger!" Loki protests, struggling against Hulk's annoying petting. 

"No, Thor _Tiny_ Avenger." Hulk argues as if that made it any different. 

Loki glares at the Avengers as if daring them to laugh at him. He can already see Star Lord and Rocket holding back grins and Drax has already busted out a raucous cackle at his expense. Hel, even Steve's cheeks are pink with a blushing shame as he tries to hold back his laughter. 

"I'm sor-" 

"What is going on he- ...oh." 

That's T'Challa walking into the conference room all unawares of what's going on, an amused Shuri beside him. 

"T'Challa." Steve chokes, getting to his feet. The Wakandan King scans the room, from Natasha all the way over to where Hulk is glaring at him, holding Loki in his arms protectively. He raises a brow. 

"Captain?" 

"Were you guys just about to let the Hulk rip the Trickster to pieces?" Shuri questions casually, biting into an apple. She nods at Loki with a cool grin as Wade, Peter, Clint and Wanda enter the room. Peter's small smile widens when he sees her and they practically fall into each others arms as T'Challa continues to look confused by everything. 

"What's the news?" Natasha asks, patting the King on the back. 

He shakes his head, as if just remembering what he was going to say before he walked in on... whatever the Hulk was planning to do with Loki. 

"The wounded are taken care of and they are all resting safely in Wakanda. But the Asgardians are becoming restless with the absence of their home."

Loki perks up at that, poking his head out from behind the Hulk's large hand. 

"Are they okay?" He demands before the sound of steady footsteps. Suddenly the heroes part and Heimdall appears from behind them, his golden eyes glowing with reassurance and warmth. Loki feels a sharp tugging within him, that makes it harder to breathe but gives him life all the same. His large green eyes begin to water, making them glassy and sad though his is anything but. Seeing Heimdall in person again- not just an apparition in his dreams, touchable yet so far away, the Gods must have granted him mercy for Heimdall to be standing right in front of him now. He doesn't know he's struggling against the Hulk until the beast growls at him. 

"No- he's- ...he's family." He pleads softly, willing Hulk to release him. It seems to work as the green beast strokes his hair gently again before placing him carefully back on his feet.

It's disorienting but Loki doesn't care. He stands there for a long minute, just staring at the man, the gatekeeper... his protector, fighting the yearning within to just crash into the man's arms but still holding onto some tiny reservation that he'd been wrong about his dreams and for all he knew Heimdall hadn't spoken to him so tenderly in his dreams. He doesn't have the time to think about it again because suddenly he's wrapped in those strong arms, his cold body suddenly warm again. 

"My King, you have returned." Heimdall greets with that quiet air that always reminded Loki of Frigga. He ignores the tears slipping down his cheeks in favour of burying his face in the man's strong chest. It's a snuggle if Heimdall's ever felt one but he doesn't say a damn thing about it. It was about time he got to hold his boy. 

"I- ...I thought the dream-speaks were lies..." The Prince sobbed, his slim fingers curling into Heimdall's tunic. 

The gatekeeper shakes his head fervently. "Not at all, Loki. They were as real as right now." 

It's the safest Loki's felt since his return to Earth and suddenly he thinks...

... _Asgard was not a place. For Loki, Asgard was Heimdall. And it had been, for a long time._

"Shall I take you to Thor?" Heimdall asks, his eyes glowing at the Prince. Loki starts to nod but then glances at Shuri, shaking his head. 

"In a moment." He says softly before walking over to the Wakandan princess. She frowns curiously at him until he stands right in front of her, holding out his hand. T'Challa and the others observe the scene with a tensed quietness but do not interrupt as Shuri raises her hand to take whatever Loki was sharing with her. 

The small smile on his face as he walks out to follow Heimdall is one of relief and peacefulness. 

 

...................

 

Now as he enters the dark room, Thor's mighty profile looming in the far corner, he feels weightless. 

His emerald eyes glow softly in the shadows, regarding the King with a small reservation. He takes a step forward and sees Thor freeze up, so he pauses as well. For some unexplained reason he felt as if he was meeting Thor for the first time. His eyes saw differently, his skin felt sensitive and even his body failed to act right. He was jumpy yet certain that it was safe to be here right now, in this moment. Thor shifts slightly as he takes another step, the blonde moving closer to the huge glass panes that serve as walls in Tony's room. From the inside, they can see the city outside, still in ruins but still beautiful. 

"Come." Thor beckons gently, the rumble of his deep, Alpha voice making Loki's skin break out in goosebumps. He obeys but then pauses again when another figure steps out of the shadows. It's shorter but the cocky pose makes up for the lack of height. 

"Hey Reindeer." Tony grins, tugging a similar one from Loki even though he's too tired to smile. When he makes it over to them, he doesn't know how but his hands reach out to both men, and they're reaching back out for him. It's a lifeline if he's ever needed one and he crumples against them, feeling their warm hands on him, holding him and stroking his hair. He smells that dark pine tree scent of Tony's, sweet and spicy while Thor's scent reminds him of the rain or the blooming scent of leaves after a heavy downpour. Tony's smell makes him ravenous and lustful while Thor's makes him want to curl up like a kitten and sleep between the two of them forever. He doesn't know which scent to choose. 

"We were so worried about you, my love." Thor whispers tenderly to him, a firm hand on his neck, squeezing it reassuringly. Loki can't help but let a single sigh of pleasure escape his lips, his pretty eyes fluttering shut as his pink mouth opens up. A whiskery kiss to his jugular has them open again and he pauses, hands all over his body as his eyes meet dark, whiskey-brown ones. 

"Really glad you're here sweetheart." Tony tells him, his beard scraping gently across smooth, pale skin. He plants little butterfly kisses down Loki's slender throat, all the way to his chest where his breath stutters as Thor's rough hands slide down his body to his rump, squeezing it before pulling him closer to them. 

For a while, Thor watches the smaller men make out right in front of him, his appetite not quite opened to disturbing the beautiful picture they were painting for him. He grins, a feral look in his eyes as his hands push Tony and Loki closer together, their tongues snaking out and touching each other like lovers. When Tony pulls back, Loki is left gasping for more with his eyes closed and his lips swollen a pretty pink. There's a soft, keening sound coming from his throat that Thor wants to hear louder. 

"Hmm..." Tony hums, delighted as Thor cards strong fingers through his hair and pulls him away from Loki only to press his own lips to Tony's. Loki stands beside them, green eyes locked on their lips, wet with saliva. He gazes at them hungrily before sliding down to the floor, slipping off his leathers as he goes. By the time his knees hit the floor, he's stark naked, his pale skin glowing in the moonlight. His long, tapering fingers shakily unzip Tony and Thor's jeans, both men still occupied with tasting each other. Loki growls like a little kitten, ticked off that their attentions aren't on him. So he slides his mouth down on Thor's huge cock with a vengeance whilst stroking Tony's manhood with just as much passion. He feels them pause in a stuttered sort of shock before their hands start stroking his hair lovingly. 

"Yes, deeper baby c'mon. I know you can take me deeper." Thor rasps, hand on the back of his head, shoving him insistently further down his cock. Loki chokes, his throat making a wet, gurgling sound as spit and precome drip sloppily down the sides of his mouth. 

"Oh _fuck."_ Tony gasps, staring down at Loki's face contorted in pleasure as he chokes on Thor's dick once more before switching it up and sucking the mortal's cock into his mouth. His hands stroke Thor's massive cock slowly but firmly while he swallows harder around Tony, his little pink tongue slithering as best as it could around Tony's girth. 

"Good boy." Tony shudders as he brings his hand up to wipe at the tears now streaming down Loki's prominent cheekbones. His eyes are closed, thick, dark lashes heavy on his pale skin. He's the picture of original sin, a virgin beauty untainted by treachery yet bruised with the love of men and far from innocence. Loki whines softly, his mouth stuffed full as Tony uses him. Thor keeps stroking his hair gently as if to remind him that despite the rough play, they still loved him dearly and would never dare hurt a hair on his head. He pulls off of Tony's cock with a wet gasp, precome glistening white against his dark, swollen pink lips. 

"Beautiful." Thor whispers to him, stroking his neck tenderly as they lead him to Tony's bed. He lies there, in front of them spread out in all his naked glory, his white skin stark against the dark blue background of Tony's quilts. 

"Jesus Christ..." Tony rasps out when his eyes travel the length of Loki's rather feminine body. It's all soft curves, pale skin and completely hairless. His breasts are slightly more pronounced than they should be, nipples dusky pink and aroused. He wants his mouth on them right fucking now, but his eyes keep wandering the gorgeous landscape. Loki's ribs move like soft waves beneath his white skin, his stomach flat but soft, and untainted by the hard ridges of manly abdominal muscles. 

"There's my little Princess." Thor coos quietly as he kisses Loki, the trickster whining low in his throat. 

Tony isn't fazed though... okay maybe slightly but as his eyes lower to the warm and wonderful valley between Loki's spread legs, he quickly forgets the King kissing his young Prince and focuses on those luscious pink folds. Thor had told him about Loki's parentage, and his Jötun heritage. Had informed him that his brother's real parents were Frost Giants and that they'd had a unique biological build and code. That resulted in Loki's possession of the female sex. Incidentally, he was a trickster God and was capable of altering his body to any type of sex so... yeah, basically Loki was a cute little shapeshifter and the God of Tony's dreams. 

"Mm- uh... n-no- oh Tony!" Loki gasps, breaking away from Thor's mouth to cry out as he feels Tony's hot tongue lick his wet centre. The man's fingers spread his cunt open, his rough beard giving Loki a delicious friction- and a good fucking reason to cry. He grabs Tony by the hair, pushing him deeper down on his quivering, wet cunt while simultaneously trying to push him away because the friction was too much for his sensitive folds. His back arches hard, his head thrown back as he calls out his lover's name in pleasure. 

"Mhmm, you look so gorgeous love." Thor tells him, brushing stray strands of hair from his face, tucking them behind his ear sweetly. It's hard for Loki to concentrate on what Thor's saying because his eyes squeeze shut everytime Tony suckles hard on his clit, his own juices dripping down the man's beard. He feels Thor's huge, calloused hand grip his thigh, spreading him even wider for Tony to devour his cunt. A strained cry of _"Oh!... no..."_ leaves Loki's lips, his green eyes blinking tearfully up at his brother. He bites his swollen lip, crying out as Tony hums appreciatively, his hot tongue wiggling back and forth like a snake in the young prince's hole. 

"Oh yes, hm? Right there huh sweetheart? Is he getting deep enough love?" Thor whispers against his crying lips, one of his wrists held down by Thor. 

"I'm gon- a-uh! _Tony-!_ " Loki sobs out but his cries are cut off when his cunt drenches itself in his own slick, cumming from Tony's tongue. He gasps out for air just as Thor slides his tongue into his mouth, kissing him wet and hard. His body spasms hard, bucking a few times against the weight of Thor and Tony, a thin sheen of sweat adorning his pale body, like drops of diamond on his pale skin. 

_"Please..."_

It's the first coherent word he's been able to pronounce since cumming and he doesn't particularly know what he's begging for. Thor smiles sweetly down at him while Tony strokes his belly tenderly. 

"What d'you need hm? What d'you want my sweet prince?" 

Loki stammers weakly against Thor's lips, hand stroking Tony's hair as the mortal starts lapping at his cunt again. 

"Take me... please, just take me." He whines, his emerald eyes wide and earnest as he begs for their love. 

"As you command." Thor responds gently, looking to Tony who then nods fervently, coming up the bed to softly stroke Loki's head, planting a kiss to his forehead. 

"Anything you want baby." 

Loki leans into the touch before Thor growls, kissing his neck hard, teeth scraping against the delicate skin. His brother bruises easily, he knows that. He wants to leave his mark on him, to claim him as his own. And he's sure Tony wants to do the same as they position the moaning Prince between them. He's bare naked, lying on all fours with his back arched severely, ass in the air for Tony. Thor takes his pretty mouth, sliding his cock down that hot, slim throat. It's a mightily tight fit but Loki doesn't dare complain. He whimpers and sobs around the thick length, choking on it as Tony slides slowly into his cunt. 

"Oh fuck!" The mortal rasps as he leans all of his weight on Loki's back, fisting a hand in his long, silky hair. Loki feels him slipping in, his channel gradually opening wider and wider to fit Tony's girth. The head hits that wonderfully sensitive spot inside of him and he grabs onto Thor's thighs, crying out as Tony's pelvis brushes his rump. Thor grunts out roughly placing his cock back in Loki's mouth, the little Prince sucking it down, choking as he gets deeper. 

"You're so fucking tight..." Tony rasps, thrusting harder into Loki with each grunt and whimper. He grabs Loki by the hair, pulling him up to lean against his well-defined chest, head on his shoulder. The sound the Prince makes is just short of a scream as Tony swallows it, his tongue snaking deeper into Loki's mouth. He pulls out of that sweet cunt roughly before sliding into his ass, a curt cry bursting from the depths of Loki's throat. Thor strokes Tony's face before stealing a kiss from the mortal, ordering them both to lie back on the bed. It was time he took Loki from the front. 

"You look so beautiful my loves. Stuck together like that." He tells them softly, hovering over Loki, his cock glistening with saliva and desperately hard. He places it at Loki's wet, swollen cunt, dragging the head back and forth over his sensitive clit before leaving it right at the reddened entrance. Loki's hands reach out desperately for him, wrapping round his neck, the trickster burying his face in Thor's neck like he's scared. 

"It's alright darling. We've got you." Thor promises as he sinks his massive length into that tight, wet heat. His cock slips in with a little friction after Tony had opened it up, a loud keening sound wailing from Loki's lips. His grip around Thor tightens and he pistons his hips forward to meet his brother's thrusts. Tony, beneath them grunts in pleasure as the movement provides his cock with a delicious friction, buried deep in Loki's anus. Loki's sure he's never felt so completely full in his entire existence, both entrances filled to the brim with the two men he'd come to know and love, his own body sandwiched between theirs, their hands holding onto him like lifelines.

"By the- ... _Gods- uh-!_ " Thor chokes as his hips thrust hard of their own volition. He's close, and Loki can feel it. Tony groans from beneath him, hos own body pulled taut and his pants hot and sweaty on Loki's bared neck. They're all close Loki supposes with passing interest as his body is pulled back and forth between the two. They've each triggered each other's arousal and what a perfect way to end the start of their lovemaking. 

"God-dammit- fuck! Uhh!" Tony growls as he spills inside Loki's ass, his fingers bruising the Prince's pale hips. His rather crass outburst doesn't even faze the Gods as they all gasp with momentum. They love him exactly the way he is anyway, Thor thinks, pressing a kiss to the mortal's lips as he begins cumming deep in Loki's welcoming cunt. The small body between them begins to spasm and buck as Loki screams and cries out to the Gods in pleasure. Tears spill from his eyes while his cunt drenches the two cocks lodged snugly inside him. Their cum drips from his holes obscenely and as they pull out, he tries to keep it all in but fails. It's a beautiful picture as both men stand above him, eyes regarding him lovingly. 

He's out before they can say a word.

He doesn't feel their hands gentle on his body, cleaning him up, taking care of him. 

Doesn't see them climbing into bed on either side of him, bodies curling around him protectively. 

Doesn't feel the kisses planted tenderly on his sweaty forehead.

 

.......................

"So, you're rebuilding Vision." 

"Precisely. Loki was smart to retrieve the Mind Stone from the Gauntlet. Don't know how he knew to leave it in my care but, well, I can't wait to tell Wanda." 

"I'm sure she'll be extremely happy." 

"I sure hope so. He's almost completed. I've just got to download the programme to his system and by tomorrow he should be back up and running." 

"This arm... I- ...I can- it's- ...it's like a part of me..." 

Nebula had never been one to struggle for the right words to say. Nor had she ever been rendered completely speechless. But this- ...this human had managed to do all of those things within a matter of minutes. She glances down at her arm, mechanical still, but not ugly and demarcated by hundreds of torture scars. Instead, it was cool like black gunmetal, light like paper but weaponized with everything she needed to defend herself with. The girl had called it...

"Vibranium." Shuri informs promptly, her smile just as brilliant as her mind. There's a soft, golden finish on the arm, much like the intricate patterns on James Barnes' arm. It looks like a piece of art, and Nebula feels a tugging in her chest at that. She blinks away the wetness in her eyes and turns to assess the other mechanical parts Shuri had replaced for her. 

There was a new Vibranium plate on her skull, right where her eye could be separated from her body. The plate possessed the technology to blend in with her skin colour so now, her face looked absolutely flawless. The cranium plate that Shuri had installed also had the ability to regrow the hair that Nebula had lost thanks to Thanos and his experimentation. It would regrow within six months, the Wakandan princess had told her. 

"Now, your leg plates are quite rudimentary. But they are protecting the bone beneath it. With this sand-tech, I can help you regrow the tissue, muscle and eventually the flesh and skin around the bone. I'll just have to remove the pl- ...Nebula?" 

Shuri cuts off from her speech and train of thought when the blue alien shakes her head in shame and confusion. She's alarmed since none of her experiments have ever hurt her patients. 

"I'm sorry. Have I hurt you?" She questions softly, brows creased in concern. 

"No." Nebula grunts out, glaring at the floor, that chip on her shoulder bigger and heavier than it had any right to be. 

"Why- ...why are you doing all of this? You know what I did- what I've _done._ Why help me now?" She chokes, her sobs muffled by how low she's hung her head. 

Shuri feels her heart break not for the first time since she started fixing up her brother's friends. She remembers Bucky, and how long it had taken him to accept a handshake. And how gradual his progress had been when he'd learnt to forgive himself. And how bad it had gotten when he relapsed into self-destructiveness and doubt. She recalls the fear and sheer terror in his eyes when the children had brought him flowers. And when the goat had licked his hand- _they'd almost had stew that day._

But then she remembers Bucky's first real smile when his healing had progressed. She'd seen a perfect row of pearly whites that day, and her lab had been brighter ever since. She remembers the adventurous sparkle in his eye and the childish grin on his face. He looked alot like the Sgt. Barnes of old- ...the one in the newspapers at the museum. 

"There is always help and redemption for those who deserve it." She says softly, a gentle hand on Nebula's shaking shoulder. When the alien looks up at her, she sees a million questions in her eyes, but grabs on to the one flicker of hope she notices. Her hands come to wrap Nebula in a hug, the gentle kind that one needs after having been abused for far too long. Shuri is warm where Nebula's mechanical parts have become too cold and she smells of lavender flowers and juniper berries. 

Much too sweet, much too gentle for a monster like herself...

"I _don't_ deserve it." She sobs into Shuri's shoulder but the scientist holds her tighter. 

"You helped save the Universe from a murderer. You're a hero. I don't expect you to think of yourself as such, healing requires more time, but, what I will say is this; you're no different from any of the other heroes here. We've all had bad days and we've all had to overcome them. Now's your turn." 

Nebula frowns, blinking up at the scientist, not understanding why Shuri's also got tears in her eyes. She'd thought empathy a myth- a mere morsel of human weakness that was lost to time. Now she realises that it was one of the most powerful of human emotions. She felt herself draw strength from Shuri's understanding and by the Gods it felt... _good._

"I don't deserve your tears." She insists quietly. Shuri shakes her head in response. 

"When yours stop, so will mine." 

Nebula doesn't know the warm and fuzzy feeling that suddenly explodes within her, but she thinks she can learn to like it. 

 

.......................

 

"Ross is on his way here via helicopter." Nick Fury informs all the heroes gathered in the conference room. The former S.H.I.E.L.D Director paces in front of them, gloved hands behind his back, his one eye regarding them gravely. 

They had to know that their three hours of paradise wouldn't last when the entire world was still recovering from the war. 

But still, it felt like a kick in the teeth when Hill had radioed them to give them a warning. Fury was pissed off as usual and Ross was coming to rule out their fates. Steve sat quietly with his chin propped up on his hand, his blue eyes far away. Bucky was perched atop a swirly chair next to him, peering over at Sam who was tapping away at a holographic control panel, Red Wing on his lap. Natasha had her head on the table, clearly asleep while Bruce leaned on her, chewing away at a strip of cherry licorice. Clint and Wanda sit together, talking in soft but excited tones- Maximoff no doubt excited because Shuri was fixing up Vision for her. Wade was a seat away from her with Peter's head in his lap. The young hero was snoozing away with a small smile on his face after Wade had raised hell to find out if Aunt May was safe. Turns out she was okay and with her close friends until it was safe to open the city to civilians again. 

"They've still got that prison lying in the middle of the sea Nick." Tony argues frustratedly, downing another cup of espresso. 

"They're not going to imprison any of you. I can promise you that." Fury responds, the tiredness on his face clear through the holographic screen. He'd been through several meetings with government officials and several world leaders. 

"Yeah, but knowing Ross, he's gonna find some way to restrict us under extreme measures." Bruce sighs, rubbing his forehead. 

"Which means international policies and harsher sanctions." Rhodey adds, looking hungover and half-asleep. He'd been busy assisting the military in leading the people to safe houses and refugee bases across the country. 

"It's Sokovia all over again." Natasha grumbles, her voice muffled from where her head is on the table. 

"Well, you guys can always migrate to space. I bet there are alot of vacant planets out there now." Rocket suggests casually, his tone making it uncertain whether he was joking or not. Quill rolls his eyes while Groot gasps in shock, shaking his head in disapproval. 

"Wait, _we_ can't go back now either." Gamora points out, all the Guardians pouting in disappointment. 

"Asgard is also destroyed. Us extra-terrestrials need temporary asylum here on earth." Thor states, a sleeping Loki on his lap. No one said anything, much too caught up in their own private miseries to congratulate Tony, Thor and Loki on their newfound relationship. 

"Wakanda is always open to your people." T'Challa replies with a small nod. Thor smiles at him gratefully, petting Loki who was squirming and snuggling deeper into his neck, little growls escaping his lips. He's wrapped loosely in Tony's blue blanket, his exposed skin glowing exquisitely in the morning light, dark bruise-like marks, the only evidence of their lovemaking. 

"Whatever it is, we can face Ross together guys." Steve assures them, ever the optimist. Bucky pats him on the shoulder before leaning against him sleepily. 

"Sam- _what_ the hell are you doing?" Natasha finally asks, shooting up from her slumber on the table as Sam beeps away at his panel. He glances up as everyone turns to him expectantly. He raises a brow before catching on.

"Oh, hold on guys. One more second... ummm... okay! Got it!" He celebrates, tapping a single button on Red Wing. 

There's a collective, "huh?" in the room as the sound of slow but steady footsteps echo from just outside the conference room. Both Nebula and Shuri enter the room, identical grins on their faces. 

"Got it! Thanks." Sam cheers, sending a thumbs up to them. 

"Got what?" Tony yawns, his smile brightening as Loki wakes up to kiss him on the cheek. 

_"A jamming signal. We've just stalled Director Ross's helicopter."_ Vision answers, hovering into the room, his golden cape floating behind him. 

It's an extremely fortunate turn of events if the heroes have ever seen one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, hope you guys liked it. And I do hope it was as fun for you guys as it was for me. :3 love y'all and more to come. I've already started a new story with loki/Thor only. Much love, Sam

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy.


End file.
